Skin and body care brand Aesop was founded in 1987 by Dennis Paphitis, who started blending essential oils into hair products at his hair salon in Melbourne, Australia. Since then, the brand has enjoyed broad appeal and steady growth, developing a global retail operation and a premium grooming product line spanning skin care, hair and body care, as well as personal and home fragrances and accessories. I did. Aesop’s sales grew over 10 years from $28 million in 2012 to $537 million in 2022. Last year, the brand was acquired by L’Oréal Luxe for $2.5 billion.
The cornerstone of Aesop’s business is its physical retail presence, with more than 400 stores and counters around the world. Our in-store consultants have a strong understanding of brand values and customer profiles, allowing our store teams to regularly collaborate with office-based team members to grow our retail and brand offerings. This collaborative nature between teams across stores and headquarters enables a culture of learning and development and creates opportunities for internal mobility within and between teams.
Employees are given the opportunity to explore roles outside of their starting role, and retail staff are also seen as an important talent pool for corporate roles. A thorough training program will prepare your employees for these transitions. Aesop’s Retail Development and Catalyst Program helps retail consultants and store managers develop the skills to pursue more senior-level roles, alongside a 12-month mentorship program to support the process.
Additionally, Aesop’s Facial Academy (a new concept from the company and currently being piloted in the UK) allows retail consultants to train to become facial therapists, with Aesop covering the cost. . Once qualified, facial therapists can secure work in this specialist role. You can secure work in this specialist role at any Aesop store with facial treatment space available.
To learn more about how the company is unlocking career development opportunities across its retail workforce, BoF spoke to three Aesop employees. Victoria Stamos, British commercial director. And Edio Mortosa. Manager of Aesop’s Marylebone store in London.
Ryad Djellas, General Manager Europe
Riyad Jeras, General Manager, Europe; (Aesop)
How would you describe Aesop’s culture?
Aesop supports entrepreneurship and strives to foster a professional environment where employees can be their authentic selves and do their best work. Each Aesop store is designed according to the unique characteristics associated with its location, so no two stores are alike. This is an apt analogy to describe our company culture. At Aesop, we truly believe in authenticity. Being ourselves is essential to us as a company.
Employee networks play a big role in this, like the prism of LGBTQ+ groups. These groups provide an opportunity to build connections with each other, not only within the same city, but also around the world. As a result, employees within your company can build stronger connections with each other.
How does Aesop promote internal movement and development among its employees?
When it comes to vacancies, we have an internal first principle, and in practice, wherever possible, existing employees are the first to be notified of any available vacancies and are given the first opportunity to apply.
In addition to Aesop, we have also been informed of opportunities across L’Oréal’s various sectors since its acquisition by L’Oréal last year. This is another way to expand the potential of your employees. Of course we don’t want to lose them, but if any of our employees would like to explore other areas of L’Oréal, it’s a great opportunity for them and they will be part of our extended family. I feel like I will continue to be a part of it.
How does Aesop foster an environment of learning and career development?
It’s important that all new employees are onboarded and immersed in the brand early on. Therefore, learning not only about products and brand codes, but also how we all work together, can be a very complex task. For retail consultants, this includes a comprehensive induction and onboarding program. We also offer product and customer experience training programs to support the launch of new products and campaigns.
We have lunch at our headquarters every month. There, you are encouraged to break bread together, leave everything at your desk, and work sitting next to people you don’t normally meet.
For managers, physical training is conducted at the headquarters to ensure complete immersion in the culture and products. By promoting the development of companies, we achieve extremely high retention rates. This is a top priority for me in this region. We love building careers and want to help our people develop their capabilities and skills now and for the future.
Victoria Stamos, Commercial Director, UK
Victoria Stamos, UK Commercial Director. (Aesop)
How has Aesop facilitated your professional development?
When I joined Aesop, I had experience in customer service as a retail consultant, but my management skills were limited. My journey at Aesop has supported and facilitated my transition into different roles to shape my capabilities towards where I want to go.
As Aesop grows, more formal training is introduced on how to become a leader in the company. This is extremely useful in terms of operations, commercial management, and human resources management. But what matters is how you work with your own style to be authentic as a leader. I had special abilities that I needed to build, but I’ve always felt like I could do it in my own way, whether it was a positive conversation or a difficult one.
My start in retail has helped me in every role I’ve had since. Direct experience of how customers respond to us, what the current customer experience is like, how people respond to our products, and how we talk to them Because I was able to. Products and things like that.
What role did your leadership play in facilitating your growth at Aesop?
At Aesop, I feel very fortunate to have met some great leaders within the industry. People have been very supportive of me, but there are also people who are willing to challenge me, respect my growth, and take the time to give me constructive feedback. Aesop promotes a culture of feedback and coaching. We focus not only on the formal training that Aesop provides, but also on how we support our employees in their current roles in retail.
I was actually still living and working in Melbourne, Australia when this commercial director position came up. My manager, who has always been very supportive, said, “This could be a really good opportunity.” So I ended up going through the application process (…) and was offered the role. Aesop has helped us with everything that comes with moving, whether it’s simply packing a house, flying to another country, or processing a visa. It would have been much more difficult without that.
How does Aesop foster a sense of solidarity among its employees?
Aesop fosters a culture in which people in the retail industry work collaboratively with corporate headquarters. So when I was working in retail, I was already building relationships with the people I would be working with at a closer level when I moved to headquarters. Aesop encourages such relationships, so you don’t feel like you’re stepping into a mystery when you start a new role.
Fostering authentic connections is an important aspect of Aesop’s culture. We also have monthly headquarters lunches where we are encouraged to break bread together, leave everything at our desks, and sit next to people we don’t normally meet. There are opportunities to connect with people outside of work, such as volunteering, and you can also do something with a team you don’t normally interact with. That informal contact, and stepping away from our desks to make time for it, is something we are empowered to do.
Suzanne Santos, Aesop’s Founding Associate and Chief Customer Officer, is always in our store and it’s great to interact with her.
One of the employee networks in place is called Aesop Women and Allies. This is a real opportunity for our employees to build connections, share perspectives and grow Aesop as a home, not just within their own region but around the world. In fact, our new parental leave policy stems from the work of a group of employees within the Women and Allies employee network, and the results are having a real, measurable, positive impact on our employees. I feel like my voice is being heard. I heard it.
Edio Mortosa, manager of Aesop Marylebone store in London
Edio Mortosa, manager of Aesop’s Marylebone store in London. (Aesop)
How does Aesop enable the sharing of learning between locations around the world?
At Aesop, you can connect with colleagues from different countries, including visitors from other headquarters around the world and colleagues from other Aesop stores. Recently, employees from our New York branch visited Japan, and when we went to Brazil in July, we also visited a store in Rio de Janeiro to understand the Aesop experience. If possible, we encourage you to explore our wider selection and network of stores.
Just before the pandemic, I also spent a week working at an Aesop store in Copenhagen. I asked if I could go there because I needed some special help at the store. And I was able to work with the team there. It was great to see how another store operates in another country. I also often work at the Aesop counter in Liberty and it’s nice to see how their customers differ from those in Marylebone.
What role did your leadership play in facilitating your growth at Aesop?
Suzanne Santos, Aesop’s Founding Associate and Chief Customer Officer, is always in our store and it’s great to interact with her. When we join, we learn from the training team at our headquarters, but we also have the opportunity to learn from Suzanne, co-founder of Aesop.
For example, I was in Paris with my girlfriend at the L’Oréal Paris Scientific Institute in May. We were able to work very closely with her, coming there to explain how we treat our customers, how the product works, and how we package it. Suzanne asked me about my experience working at the Marylebone store and we had lunch together. I also met with Kit Chong, Aesop’s strategic advisor, whose work includes guidance on global retail operations, and visited other Aesop stores in Paris with her during my stay in Paris.
How has Aesop facilitated your professional development?
Aesop is committed to retaining talent and encouraging the continued development of the retail sector. These provide continuous learning opportunities to improve your skills and deliver our unique customer experience, including branded product and customer experience training.
For me personally, my career with Aesop began as a seasonal retail consultant during the festive period. I then became a full-time retail consultant and was then promoted to assistant manager at several different locations in London. I became a Store Manager in 2019 and have worked in many other stores across London.
This approach helps develop retail teams because each store and its offering is unique. For example, the Soho store celebrated Pride Month every year by opening the Aesop Queer Library during British Pride weekend. We will remove all products from our shelves and replace them with queer books. It’s a great, educational experience.
This is a sponsored feature paid for by Aesop as part of the BoF partnership.
