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PARIS — Christopher de Lapuente, chairman and chief executive officer of the selective retailing division at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, and a member of its executive committee, will retire on Oct. 31.

The information was shared in an internal memo released at LVMH this evening, which WWD has seen, and confirms recent media reports.

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Following de Lapuente’s departure, the CEOs of Sephora, DFS and Le Bon Marché will report to Stéphane Bianchi, LVMH group managing director.

“Chris has been an exceptional leader for LVMH,” said Bernard Arnault, LVMH chairman and CEO, in the internal memo. “His contributions have been remarkable, both in terms of business results and in the desirability of our maisons, as well as in team development.

“Chris has led Sephora to become the indisputable leader of prestige beauty worldwide,” Arnault continued. “Sephora has become five-times bigger since Chris took the helm. He also established a culture of performance within the organization, strengthening the pride of being a part of it. Chris’ leadership has fueled a passion for product innovation and for delivering enthusiastic service to customers. He has also trained teams that are ready to take over and continue to share these unique values.”

“I want to thank Mr. Arnault for the trust and confidence he bestowed in me to lead Sephora, LVMH Beauty and then the selective retail division over the past 14 years,” de Lapuente said in the statement. “I also thank all the leaders and colleagues who have worked so hard to make so many of our business dreams come true. I am very proud of the passionate winning culture we jointly created and how we have built Sephora into a global iconic lovemark.

“Personally, I have loved my time at LVMH,” added de Lapuente. “I learnt a tremendous amount and feel I made a real difference. Now after 40 years of working at two of the world’s greatest brand-building groups, LVMH and P&G, it is time to move on to my next chapter, spending more time with my family, learning and discovering new life challenges.”

De Lapuente took the lead of LVMH’s selective retailing division in January 2021. At the time, he was known for having brought Sephora to new heights over a 10-year tenure. By then, de Lapuente had already expanded his purview to oversee also Le Bon Marché group, as well as many perfumes and cosmetics brands at LVMH.

At the selective retailing division, de Lapuente’s scope at the outset included as well DFS, Starboard & Onboard (which subsequently was sold), and 24S, LVMH’s online fashion site. CEOs of all the retailers reported to de Lapuente, who remained a member of LVMH’s executive committee.

At the time when it was announced de Lapuente was taking the selective retailing group’s reins, Arnault lauded him for his success at Sephora and for growing new beauty brands with great potential, notably Fenty Beauty. By then, Sephora’s sales had tripled, its geographic reach expanded from 20 to 36 countries, e-commerce exploded and the retailer had established a foothold in China under de Lapuente’s leadership, as he bolstered Sephora’s omnichannel presence.

De Lapuente became Sephora’s present and CEO and member of LVMH’s executive committee in March 2011.

Even as he ran the selective retailing division, de Lapuente maintained close managerial oversight of Sephora. After his successor there, Martin Brok, departed in June 2022, after less than two years as CEO, de Lapuente stepped back into that role. He named another successor, Guillaume Motte, in November 2022.

LVMH’s selective retailing division, despite exposure to China in the duty-free channel, registered sales of 8.63 billion euros in the first half of 2024, up 3 percent in reported terms and 8 percent on an organic basis versus the same prior-year period.

Sephora during the period achieved remarkable growth, while DFS saw business remain under its 2019 pre-COVID-19 level and Le Bon Marché continued to achieve gains, according to LVMH in a statement.

Before joining LVMH, de Lapuente worked at Procter & Gamble starting in 1983. Between 2007 and 2010, de Lapuente held the position of group president for global hair care. In 2004, he was promoted to president of global hair care from the role of vice president, U.K. and Ireland.

News of de Lapuente’s imminent departure comes at a time of great change in LVMH’s C-suite. During this year alone, executive changes have included the nomination of  a new deputy chief financial officer and head of LVMH Fashion Group, as well as the stepping down of group’s longstanding group managing director.

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