Julien Schneider takes charge of L’Occitane en Provence in France

Julien Schneider, who was appointed CEO of French premium menswear retailer Balibaris in January 2022, has now been named managing director France by cosmetics retailer L’Occitane en Provence. News of the appointment was first reported by industry magazine LSA, confirming a post on Schneider’s LinkedIn profile.

Schneider is an e-tail specialist and, before joining Balibaris, he worked for six years at Lacoste, notably in the role of vice-president retail and digital for North America, between 2019 and 2022. Before his stint at Lacoste, Schneider spent four years at the Fnac group, first as e-commerce and marketing director at Fnac Spectacles/France Billet, and then as head of Fnac’s internet and mobile business. 

L’Occitane en Provence was founded in 1976 with the mission of “reconciling mankind with nature,” and is still the leading brand/retailer of the L’Occitane group, whose portfolio also includes Sol de Janeiro and Melvita. In the first nine months of the group’s non-standard 2023-24 fiscal year, L’Occitane en Provence topped the €1 billion revenue mark, recording however a 2.6% downturn owing to slumping sales in Europe and in the travel retail channel.

In early January, the L’Occitane group streamlined its top hierarchy, consolidating the CEO and managing director roles in one position, to which it appointed Laurent Marteau.