Eileen Yeo

In 1984 in France, Marcel Frydman bought a network of perfume shops from Bernard Marionnaud, retaining the name and founding the group Marionnaud. After expanding across Europe, the company was bought in 2005 by A.S. Watson Group. Known in the hearts of the French for its quality and proximity to its customers, Marionnaud has understood how to reinvent itself to evolve alongside its client base.

The chain has been serving women for 30 years, providing them with high-quality beauty-care products, make-up, and top-brand perfumes. Since the first store was opened in France, the brand and company has grown exponentially with Marionnaud now boasting more than 1,000 stores in 10 countries across Europe, including France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. These stores were built on the firm foundations of the brand’s reputation for accessibility, competitive pricing, personalised service, and professional advice. It’s this approach that has gained the company the loyalty of millions, with Marionnaud France calling more than six million customers proud loyalty-card holders.

To protect this reputation and its staff’s expertise, the company established the Marionnaud Academy to equip each of its employees with the knowledge, skills, and professionalism to provide quality advice and service to its millions of customers. These expert employees will form the backbone of this iconic European retailer as it continues to expand its stores and online offering.

Eileen Yeo, CEO of Marionnaud France, leads this dedicated team of thousands and spoke to The CEO Magazine about how Marionnaud is evolving with its customers and setting standards in the competitive retail market.