Soho, London bound Essential Parfums gears up to open its first standalone location outside of France
Shaftesbury Capital has announced that French perfumery Essential Parfums will open its first standalone store outside of France at 37 Beak Street in Soho, London in early October. The new store, spanning 795 sq ft, will feature a range of fragrances developed in collaboration with well known perfumers such as Calice Becker, Quentin Bisch, and Nathalie Lorson.
William Oliver, Director of Retail and Restaurant Leasing at Shaftesbury Capital, says: “Securing another UK debut is testament to the strength and appeal of our Soho portfolio, given its global status and revered collection of international brands.”
“Essential Parfums feels like a natural fit for the neighbourhood, and being just around the corner from Carnaby Street, it joins a neighbourhood built on creativity, discovery, and premium experiences. Introducing the brand’s first standalone store outside of France allows us to extend Soho’s truly distinctive retail offer, complementing Beak Street’s character and again adding something our visitors cannot experience anywhere else.”
Géraldine Archambault, Co-founder and CEO at Essential Parfums, comments: “Our upcoming launch in Soho marks an exciting new chapter for Essential Parfums, as we open our first standalone store outside of France. Expanding into the UK market has been a natural next step for the brand, allowing us to share our approach to modern perfumery with a new community of fragrance enthusiasts. Finding the right location was essential, and Soho offers the perfect environment to bring Essential Parfums to the UK, placing us in a high footfall destination with a highly engaged demographic, eager to discover new retail experiences.”
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
