"The business has grown faster than we expected," says director Nigel Tobias. "We opened 17 stores in 2005 and 14 this year, but from now on I think it's realistic to grow at 10 to 12 stores per year. There are plenty of sites available, but we need to be selective."

Naturally, the Modus relationship helps when it comes to acquisitions: Passion for Perfume has already earmarked units in Modus's schemes in Crewe, Newport and Grand Arcades in Wigan, which opens next year.

Over the medium term Tobias believes the UK could support 80 to 100 Passion for Perfume stores, and he is preparing a push into the Irish market. "It's a logical next step for us after we opened 11 stores in Scotland," he says. "We'll do Northern Ireland first and then the Republic, with up to a dozen stores."

Tobias says the most significant recent opening was at P&O's Drake Circus in Plymouth. "We consider that to be our flagship," he says.

The average store trades from 540 sq ft with 20ft of frontage, but at Plymouth the store has over 30ft of frontage, allowing it to make a dramatic statement. "The shopfit has evolved," says Tobias. "We've learned from everything we've done and we've been able to move the size of the stores and the range on."

The storefront is framed by dramatic 3m by 2m graphics promoting the brands on sale in the store, which are changed on a quarterly basis. "We have premier brand support," Tobias says. "We've made significant progress with the brands and we've worked hard to convince them that we're a serious player."

That brand relationship is absolutely key to Passion for Perfume's business model. "We're predominantly direct supply," he says. "We do buy certain brands on the grey market but once we have a relationship with a brand we'd never undermine that." Tobias has made it a priority to stock brands not carried by his two rivals, Perfume Shop and Fragrance Shop, and for that reason he's happy to trade alongside them. In Plymouth, for example, Passion for Perfume trades directly above the Perfume Shop.

"We're price competitive but we're not a discounter," he asserts.

And he doesn't see the traditional department store perfume hall as competition, either. "Our staff - we call them 'passionettes' - are very highly trained and they know the whole range," he explains, "while the sales consultants in department stores only handle one brand. That means we're able to help customers with independent advice."

Tobias believes that the personal touch is what differentiates Passion for Perfume. "We don't just want people to come to us for special occasions like Mother's Day, Valentine's Day and so on; we want people to come back regularly."

Statistics

passion for perfume

Launched: 2004

Flagship store: Drake Circus, Plymouth

Average store size: 540 sq ft

Average fontage: 20 ft

Key sales strategy: Independent advice and high level of customer service

Address: The Edge, Clowes Street, Manchester M3 5NA

Telephone: 0161 817 5238

Website: http://www.passionforperfume.co.uk

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