What: Liberty names Lbty fragrance managing director Laura Simpson as chief marketing officer, reinforcing its focus on proprietary beauty, brand building, and luxury lifestyle growth.

Why it is important: Liberty’s strategy shows how heritage retailers can turn own-brand fragrance and niche beauty into growth engines in a competitive luxury market.

Liberty has appointed Laura Simpson, managing director of its in-house fragrance brand Lbty, as chief marketing officer, reinforcing its strategic focus on proprietary beauty, brand building, and luxury lifestyle growth. Simpson will continue leading Lbty while overseeing brand, marketing, and customer strategy across the group. The appointment builds on the success of Lbty, a high-end artisan fragrance line inspired by Liberty’s archive and heritage, and supports plans to expand the collection into a broader beauty offer. Liberty has also invested in dedicated beauty spaces, including the Fragrance Lounge and The Beauty Studio, which features niche brands focused on well-being, creativity, and experiential retail. Simpson’s background at Procter & Gamble, Coty, and Wella brings deep beauty industry expertise to Liberty’s wider marketing agenda. The move reflects how heritage department stores are turning own-brand fragrance, curated indie beauty, and immersive experiences into growth engines that strengthen differentiation, loyalty, and luxury lifestyle positioning.

IADS Notes: Liberty’s appointment of Laura Simpson as chief marketing officer reinforces the department store’s strategic focus on beauty, fragrance, and own-brand growth. Simpson will continue leading Lbty, the in-house fragrance line that has gained international recognition and forms part of Liberty’s broader shift toward proprietary products, which now account for a significant share of turnover (Vogue Business, August 2025; Fashion United, October 2025). Her expanded role builds on Liberty’s recent beauty investments, including The Beauty Studio, which transformed a former chocolate shop into an experiential space for niche brands, holistic treatments, creativity, and well-being (BeautyInc, October 2025). The move also aligns with wider department store beauty trends, as Selfridges has turned fragrance into a destination through exclusives, immersive design, and expert service, while La Samaritaine and Le Bon Marché are using differentiated assortments, services, and shared market intelligence to drive loyalty and discovery (Press Release, March 2026; Fashion Network, June 2026). By combining heritage, proprietary beauty, curated indie brands, and experiential retail, Liberty is strengthening its position as a distinctive luxury lifestyle destination.

Liberty names beauty veteran Laura Simpson Chief Marketing Officer