What do beauty buyers really want? Decoding retail success with Catherine Bossom
Smart Beauty · Viola Levy
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Show Notes
Have you ever wondered what really goes on when a beauty brand tries to score a spot onto the hallowed shelves of Harrods or Space NK? Catherine Bossom has not only had a front-row seat, she’s also played a starring role. From her early days as a graduate trainee at Harrods, to senior buying positions at Space NK and Selfridges, she has spent twenty years in the thick of luxury beauty retail — and has lived to tell the tale.
Now, as the guiding spirit behind her consultancy, Yellow Flamingo, Catherine helps bewildered founders untangle the riddle of what buyers actually want (hint: not what you imagine). In this conversation, we chat about how a brand’s story is often far more seductive than the quality of its product line, that personal connections are massively overrated, and the brutal reality of what retail can and can't do for your sales figures.
From the days when buyers had to physically cross continents in search of the next great discovery, to today’s overcrowded marketplace where every buyer is positively snowed under with pitches, Catherine offers an insider’s view — witty, unsparing, and utterly invaluable to anyone tempted to storm the beauty shelves. We also talk about Catherine's own business journey and how a family tragedy spurred her on to take the road less travelled.