Indie Beauty is headed for Europe in a big way. Douglas, Europe’s leading selective beauty retailer, and Indie Beauty Media Group (IBMG), producer of the world’s largest exposition of independent beauty brands, have announced a broad partnership to promote independent innovation and champion beauty entrepreneurship in Europe.
 
The Douglas-IBMG collaboration will engage the independent beauty community on multiple levels. First, IBMG will assist Douglas in sourcing and onboarding a world-class collection of independent beauty brands across a wide range of categories. This will provide millions of beauty enthusiasts living in Europe with the opportunity to shop an expertly curated collection of exceptional products. For independent brands, this is an invaluable opportunity to be discovered by customers throughout Douglas’ 2,400 stores across 21 European countries.
 
Second, Douglas will be the official retail sponsor for the launch of IBE Berlin, which will take place on March 22 and 23, 2019, at Station Berlin. Douglas’ support for IBE Berlin underscores the company’s commitment to make Douglas more accessible to independent brands and, by extension, make independent brands more accessible to Douglas consumers.
 
Third, Douglas will be the launch sponsor of the German language version of the entrepreneurial- focused digital publication, Beauty Independent. The German-language version of the popular publication will provide greater coverage of European independent and emerging beauty while becoming more readily accessible to beauty entrepreneurs among the 100 million German-speaking citizens of Europe.
 
Finally, Tina Mueller, CEO of Douglas Group, will be the keynote speaker at the BeautyX Retail Summit taking place May 13–14, in Dallas, Texas, further emphasizing Douglas’ commitment to the community by investing in education and thought leadership.
 
“Independent beauty is a strategically important area for Douglas, and we want to earn our place as the instinctive retailer-of-choice for independent brands entering or expanding in Europe,” said Mueller. “We also recognize that beauty entrepreneurs are the real driving force behind independent beauty, which is why we also want to directly connect with innovators, so that we can earn their trust and respect.”
 
Nader Naeymi-Rad, co-founder of IBMG, added, “Independent beauty is about beauty entrepreneurs who are tirelessly pushing the boundaries of innovation to address unmet needs and delight consumers. By partnering with Douglas—a recognized leader in beauty retailing and a company with a well-established track record of bringing new innovations to market—we will be able to assist many more entrepreneurs in Europe while opening a substantial new area of opportunity for all beauty entrepreneurs.”
 
 PHOTO: A Douglas retail location