Since 1987, Aesop has been pioneering an approach to retail that uniquely embraces design and difference, and the tension between localization and globalization. Recently opening its one hundredth store, located in Oslo, Norway, Aesop is quietly conquering the world one physical retail experience at a time. It now has stores in seventeen countries, and the pace of growth doesn’t appear to be slowing.
Given the financial success of the company and its consistent global expansion, I was keen to quiz Michael O’Keeffe, CEO of Aesop, on what Aesop had been doing to get where it is. There is no doubt that the company’s success has been achieved during a time of enormous upheaval in the retail world, not the least of which is the explosion of so-called “threatening” online retail over the past ten or so years.