Charles Denton is the new owner of Erno Laszlo, which is celebrating its 85th anniversary this year. Beauty Fashion sat down with Mr. Denton to discuss his plans for the brand and how he will build on its heritage. Beauty Fashion: How did your career path lead to your acquisition of the Erno Laszlo brand? Charles Denton: I never intended to be in the beauty industry; I’m just attracted to brands that have a good story to tell. I became involved in the beauty business when I joined Molton Brown as Sales and Marketing Consultant in 1989. At that Charles Denton showcases Erno Laszlo products. time, Molton Brown had a limited line of hair care and color products, but a great following amongst an international clientele. The line had been introduced at Barneys New York by Bonnie and Gene Pressman a few years before. I worked with a wonderful team led by my great mentor and our Chairman, Michael Warshaw, and a fantastic Technical Director, Dale Daxon-Bowes. The three of us formed a partnership that was chemistry in the truest sense; we complemented each other’s skills. We often joked that Dale formulated the products; I marketed them and Michael made sure there was a profit in the middle. When we took over the company, it was in receivership. We built an extraordinary organization, which was acquired by the Kao Corporation in 2005. It was at that point that I retired from the commercial world to volunteer as the Executive Director of Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London. I only recently stepped down from my role there, since I can’t give the amount time required, although, I am hoping to do a bit more of philanthropic work in the United States. My re-introduction to Erno Laszlo occurred during a luncheon with an ex-employee Sarah Rotheram, who is the CEO of Cradle Holdings, the group that previously owned Erno Laszlo. She was very animated about her plans for L’Artisan Parfumeur and Penhaligon’s but touched just briefly on Erno Laszlo. It was clear to me that there wasn’t a great deal of investment going into Erno Laszlo; it was seen more as a cash cow, generating good profits off a very loyal following. I asked a question that I hope I shall never regret: “Do you think they will ever sell the business?” A month later, Sarah asked me to make an offer for Erno Laszlo, which was accepted. RBS Equity Finance in London agreed to support me, so I found myself back in the beauty industry. BF: What was the status of the Erno Laszlo brand when you acquired it? CD: Erno Laszlo has an extraordinarily loyal following with great distribution across the US of about 150 doors, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Nordstrom. While we have enjoyed these relationships for many years—at Saks since 1957—the brand wasn’t particularly growing. We had a very solid business in Italy with about 120 doors; in Germany, Switzerland and Austria with combination of about 110 doors and a very strong business in Hong Kong where we have four stand-alone shops. M AY 2 0 1 2 /
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