PARIS — Douglas Group has appointed a new chief executive officer, Jean-Marc Bellaiche, starting Nov. 1.
He will succeed Sander van der Laan, who has held the role at the beauty retail group for four years and has decided to retire from the role after a 36-year career, according to Douglas in a statement Wednesday.
Bellaiche, who is 56 years old, for the last year has served as CEO of luxury resort operator Sani/Ikos Group. Prior to that, the executive was CEO of Printemps Group for five years starting in 2020 and was credited there with strengthening the department store group’s distinctiveness and customer-centricity, introducing more exclusivities, and accelerating its international and omnichannel development while improving the operating profitability, according to Douglas Group.
Bellaiche also has held senior positions at Contentsquare and Arianee, as well as Tiffany & Co.
Van der Laan joined Douglas in October 2022.
“Since then, he has successfully driven the transformation of the Düsseldorf-based company into a true omnichannel business and implemented significant strategic, operational and structural improvements,” Douglas said. It highlighted key achievements as including a new category and exclusive-brands strategy, as well as an update of the store-format and -network strategy.
“He also comprehensively reorganized the group’s supply chain, further developed the digital platforms, implemented a comprehensive ESG strategy, and harmonized internal processes and structures,” Douglas continued.
Under the executive, the company in 2024 was listed on the stock exchange.
“Van der Laan has also been deeply committed to further developing the corporate culture and introduced the purpose ‘Make life more beautiful,’” Douglas said.
“This important change in the leadership at the top of the company has been prepared very thoughtfully and carefully, ensuring a smooth and professional transition,” said Henning Kreke, chairman of Douglas AG’s supervisory board, in a statement. “We truly regret Sander van der Laan’s decision to retire, while fully respecting his choice after a long and successful career.
“With his departure, Douglas Group loses an outstanding leader and highly experienced retail executive, who has played a pivotal role in the successful development of the group,” Kreke continued. “At the same time, we are very pleased to have appointed Jean-Marc Bellaiche, a highly experienced executive in international retail and luxury, with a strong track record across beauty, premium department stores, digital transformation, brand-building and strategy. We are convinced that he will build on the progress already made and put even more focus on customer-centricity, beauty brand partnerships and operational excellence.”
Bellaiche said: “I am particularly excited to join the group at such an important moment in the evolution of the beauty industry. The Douglas Group plays a leading role in the European premium beauty market and has a manifold of unique assets, including an outstanding omnichannel footprint, a large base of loyal customers and an attractive assortment based on close relationships with beauty brands. I look forward to building on these strengths together with the management team and all my colleagues across 22 European countries, while driving innovations and changes needed to succeed in a rapidly changing market environment.”
Douglas Group includes beauty retailers Douglas, Nocibé, Parfumdreams and Niche Beauty, counting all together about 1,970 stores. In the group’s fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2025, the company generated sales of 4.58 billion euros.