The Perfume Shop – Fosse Park, Leicester
The Perfume Shop has reported a good festive trading period for 2025, selling over 1.58 million bottles of perfume between 30 November and 24 December (+6% YoY), the equivalent of more than 63,000 bottles a day, the equivalent of unwrapping a bottle every second for 18 hours straight. Total sales in December showed +1.6% growth. Perfume continued to be one of the most meaningful gifts of the season, with timeless icons such as Dior Sauvage, Carolina Herrera Good Girl and Chanel Coco Mademoiselle leading the category.
This year’s shopping behaviours reflected a more intentional approach to Christmas spending. Whilst The Perfume Shop saw online searches begin in September, customers timed their purchases around those major deal moments they knew were worth waiting for. Interest peaked around Black Friday and again from mid-December, culminating between the 14th and 20th of December, becoming the retailer’s strongest week of the season. The classic last-minute rush also played a starring role, as 23rd December became the single biggest in-store trading day.
Throughout the season, shoppers continued their shift away from multi-product promotions and instead responded best to simple price drops on single bottles or sets, a trend that has been consistent across 2025.
Gift sets delivered another standout year. Overall sales increased +4% versus last year, while online demand surged +62% during the peak Christmas period. Across the full year, sets represented 16.8% of total sales, up from 15.7% in 2024, a clear sign that customers still consider them one of the most reliable gifting choices.
Personalisation was another major success story. From engraved bottles to personalised ribbons and gift messages, customers embraced bespoke touches more than ever. Online personalisation services rose significantly, with December usage up +23.74% YoY. Individual services also saw strong growth, including 50,000 gift wraps (+84.6% YoY), 54,000 personalised ribbons (+106.8% YoY), 21,000 engraved bottles, and 3,500 custom gift messages introduced in November.
Convenience continued to drive purchasing decisions. Click & Collect services remained a key part of the Christmas countdown, while Next Day Delivery again proved essential for last-minute gifting and the partnership with Deliveroo for last minute deliveries.
Reflecting on the season, Andrea Rickard, trading director at The Perfume Shop, said: “Perfume continues to be one of the most heartfelt and memorable gifts at Christmas. Shoppers were more deliberate this year, waiting for the right moment to buy and choosing gifts that felt thoughtful, from engraved bottles to beautiful new launches. This festive period truly showed the power of personal touches and the enduring joy of gifting scent.”
Gill Smith, Managing Director at The Perfume Shop, also shared: Christmas 2025 has been a good and exciting period for us. With over 1.5 million bottles sold, growth in gift sets, and significant uplifts in personalised ribbons and wrapping, it’s clear that customers are looking for thoughtful, high-quality gifts, and they trust us to deliver them both in-store and online”.
New arrivals also made a big impact in 2025. Launches such as Carolina Herrera La Bomba and Prada Paradigme were among the strongest performers of the season, excelling both as single bottles and within gift sets. Their success highlights customers’ growing appetite for modern and expressive scents that offer strong gifting appeal.
