Rituals’ store at the T Galleria Beauty by DFS, Hong Kong, Causeway Bay outlet.

Rituals is aiming to replicate its European success in Asia through building a strong presence in more than 15 countries in the region over the next five years.

The brand, which is the first in the world to combine body and home cosmetics, will open an office and warehouse facility in Hong Kong to support the company’s ambitious growth plans in Asia.

Located in the heart of Hong Kong, the office will be operational from 1 June and help Rituals build a solid, premium distribution across all channels (travel retail, domestic and e-commerce) through key markets in the region.

ASIA GROWTH GOAL

The travel retail team will also focus on strengthening the brand’s presence in leading hotels and airlines in the region through appointed distributors.

Marjet de Vlieger (left), currently Business Development Manager Travel Retail, will assume the role of Head of Travel Retail APAC as of 1 July and move to Hong Kong in January 2020. De Vlieger has worked in Rituals’ Travel Retail division since it was created over seven years ago.

The first Rituals standalone store in Asia will open in Hong Kong this year followed by further openings in key locations. Over 10 new Asia travel retail locations will open in 2019, including the brand’s first venture in South Korea.

To further support the brand’s Asian expansion, Rituals has developed a bespoke brand strategy and communications campaign to effectively reach the key Chinese consumer demographic.

Neil Ebbutt, Director Travel Retail, Rituals commented: “Opening the Hong Kong office and warehouse facility is a major investment and step forward as we look to convert the Asia opportunity.

“For Rituals, travel retail is leading the way in building the brand’s presence in Asia, which not only shows the power of the channel, but also allows airports and retailers to better differentiate themselves by being the gateway into the Rituals world.

“Our vision is to build a truly global lifestyle brand and we’re ready to capitalise on this travel retail-first approach.”

Rituals at T Galleria By DFS, Hong Kong, Canton Road.

TRAVEL EXCLUSIVE SETS

Meanwhile, Rituals introduced four new travel exclusive sets from its best-selling collections last month. The addition of new travel exclusive sets at different price points to the brand’s existing ones underlines the importance of variety within Rituals’ travel exclusive offer, according to the company.

Three Mini Travel Sets are available from The Ritual of Sakura, The Ritual of Ayurveda and The Ritual of Happy Buddha collections. Each set contains a Body Cream (70ml) and Foaming Shower Gel (50ml).

The Ritual of Happy Buddha scent is infused with sweet orange and power of cedar wood. The Ritual of Sakura is inspired by the Japanese sakura blossom and features a rice milk and cherry blossom fragrance and The Ritual of Ayurveda comprises notes of Indian rose and Himalaya honey.

Lastly, The Ritual of Namasté Travel Exclusive Face Care Bag contains four products from the natural Namasté range. These enable customers to cleanse, remove make-up and moisturise while travelling. The products are housed in a clear, reusable zip-close pouch with gold trim.

The Ritual of Namasté Travel Exclusive Face Care Bag is available to purchase at stores operated by Heinemann, Eckerö Line, Viking Line and Lagardère Travel Retail.

The set comprises Smooth Cleansing Foam 30ml, Miracle 3-in-1 Micellar Water 50ml, Anti-Ageing Day Cream 20ml and Anti-Ageing Serum 10ml. All products from The Ritual of Namasté have been developed with natural or naturally derived ingredients.

Ebbutt, commented: “The introduction of our new travel exclusive sets is an important part of our ongoing strategy to reach consumers at all touch points on their journey.

“By offering our best-selling Rituals in a travel-friendly format, customers are able to try and become familiar with our products which allows us to build loyalty and drive repeat purchases from across our lifestyle product offering.”