Yardley: Delivering Affordable British Luxury Fragrance Since 1770

Yardley is an entry in our Great British Brands 2024 book. 

Yardley: Great British Brand 2024

‘Yardley London has been delivering outstanding personal service for more than 250 years. Our reputation is built on forming enduring relationships with our customers; to do that, we need to meet their evolving needs, which does, of course, involve keeping up with technological developments. While we do live in a digital and digitised age – Yardley London would not survive the next 250 weeks, let alone years, if it didn’t remain relevant to a new generation that is growing up with AI – we are nonetheless in an industry that makes products that appeal to that intangible thing, human taste.

‘I cannot imagine a machine will ever be able to create a delicately nuanced fragrance with mass appeal and longevity, no matter how carefully you brief it. Creating a new scent is a complex process, incorporating trends, consumer demands, our brand essence, and the expertise, talent and inspiration of the perfumier. Each perfume launch is the work of human skill, interpretation, appreciation, and aspiration. It’s a beautiful expression of alchemy.

‘Even though our raison d’être is providing affordable luxury, spending on fragrance is still an indulgence – a treat – and being served by a person is part of that experience. We have excellent technology – our online perfume-finder is good – but it’s no match for the personal touches an in-store advisor can provide. Using the online guide is a monologue rather than a dialogue. We know people visit Boots – one of our biggest UK stockists – as much for the interaction and advice as for the products. The day might come when they are met by a robot, but I hope not. We train their staff to match scents to personalities, to events, to tastes, while also encapsulating the very nature of the Yardley brand – quality, trust, natural ingredients and sustainability. No machine can do that.’

Karen Cullen, General Manager/Business Head at Wipro Consumer Care (Yardley London)

Five Proudest Moments

1. Our 2018 campaign was fronted by TigerLily Taylor – the daughter of Queen’s Roger Taylor – and photographed by Rankin. It showed Yardley as both traditionalist and forward thinking.
2. In 2020, we celebrated our 250th anniversary by launching Contemporary Florals, a range of combination fragrances, such as Gardenia and Cassis, appealing to younger customers.
3. Since 2021, Yardley London has supported the cancer charity, Look Good Feel Better, donating a contribution from net sales from its gift collection, botanical handwashes and selected fragrances to the charity.
4. Our commitment to supporting British manufacturing and to providing high-quality, crueltyfree fragrances at affordable prices. Many of our lines use up to 97 percent natural ingredients and are vegan.
5. Receiving feedback from customers. Many of them grew up with Yardley, buying products for their mums and grandmothers. Now their own children and grandchildren are buying our fragrances for them.

What I’ve Learnt

• Never rest on your laurels. Yardley London is an historic brand, but it still innovates and moves with the times.
• Share your product differentiators and make sure you are transparent, honest and clear when talking to customers about them.
• Evolve, but don’t lose sight of what your brand stands for and represents. Build on that for the future.

YARDLEY OF LONDON LTD

102a High St, Eton, Berkshire, SL4 6AF

+44 (0)1753 983837

yardleylondon.co.uk

@yardleylondonuk