LVMH names Guillaume Mott as new Sephora CEO

LVMH-owned French beauty giant Sephora has appointed Guillaume Mott as its new president and chief executive officer.

It marks a return to the company for Mott, who spent three years as president and CEO of Sephora’s Europe and Middle East business before exiting in May 2021 to take on the role of deputy CEO of LVMH Fashion Group.

“I am delighted to welcome Guillaume back to Sephora as president and CEO,” said Sephora’s chair and chief executive Chris de Lapuente in a statement.

He said Mott’s experiences over the past two years in LVMH Fashion Group “have broadened his prestige brand building expertise and deepened his already extensive retail and business skills at a global level”.

He added: “I have no doubt he will continue to build Sephora into the extraordinary premium beauty retailer we envision. I am extremely happy that we will be working together again.”

New chief as Sephora eyes UK market

Earlier in his career, Mott spent almost seven years as CEO of French menswear retailer Celio.

Mott succeeds former Sephora CEO Martin Brok who stepped down unexpectedly in June, with parent company LVMH citing “a divergence of views”.

Last year, Sephora acquired British cosmetics e-tailer Feelunique in a move to re-enter the UK’s highly competitive beauty market which is dominated by heavyweights like Boots, Next, THG, Harrods, Asos, Boohoo, and Amazon.

Sylvie Moreau, Sephora’s president of Europe and the Middle East, revealed last month in an interview with WWD that the first stage of that plan will see feelunique.com become sephora.co.uk and take on the brand’s visual identity.

The second phase will see Sephora open a brick-and-mortar store in March 2023 at a currently undisclosed location in London.

It marks the retailer's second foray into the UK having opened a debut store in 2000 which it closed in 2005 after failing to crack the fiercely competitive market.