Dive Brief:
- Former Kering beauty executive Alexandre Choueiri will be chief executive officer of Bluemercury as of Aug. 3, Macy’s Inc. announced Tuesday.
- He will lead the beauty retailer’s “overall business and growth strategy, building on the brand’s position as a leading luxury beauty retailer,” the company said.
- Choueiri replaces Maly Bernstein, who left in September. He will report to Bloomingdale’s CEO Olivier Bron.
Dive Insight:
Macy’s Inc. spent several months searching for someone to replace Bernstein, who took over from co-founder Marla Beck five years ago. In Choueiri, the company has found someone who has worked across the globe in luxury beauty for over a quarter-century.
Most recently, he was CEO and president of the Americas at Kering Beauté, overseeing its largest region. Before that, he had various leadership roles at L’Oréal, including as global president of Ralph Lauren fragrances. Last fall, L’Oréal and Kering forged an expansive partnership in a $4 billion deal.
At Macy’s Inc., Choueiri takes on a business that has posted consistent strength. In 2025, the beauty retailer’s net sales rose 2.6% and comps rose 1.6%, in a year when overall Macy’s, Inc. net sales fell 2.4% and comparable sales rose 1.5%. In the most recent quarter, Bluemercury comps surged over 6%.
That Q1 performance took Evercore analysts led by Michael Binetti by surprise, as it likely outdid the prestige beauty market overall in the period. They attributed the acceleration to newness in skin care and fragrance, but said that comps may have also benefited from the closure of two locations.
Prestige beauty sales in the U.S. rose 6% in Q1, topping $8 billion, though growth in mass beauty slightly surpassed that, according to Circana research. While growth in dollars outpaced growth in volumes across the category, unit demand in both prestige and mass beauty grew in the low-single digits, Larissa Jensen, global beauty industry adviser at Circana, said in a May report.
