'We're helping them rediscover the joy of perfume': The Perfume Shop launches new service at Merry Hill

The Perfume Shop, the UK’s largest specialist perfume retailer, has launched the UK’s first dedicated high street Scent Rediscovery Service at its Merry Hill store.

The store at the shopping centre, in Brierley Hill, Dudley, is one of just 14 locations in the UK and Ireland taking part in the retailer’s new pilot scheme.

The complimentary one-to-one service has been created to help customers rediscover the perfumes they love as their sense of smell, personal preferences and lifestyles naturally change over time.

The service follows new research commissioned by The Perfume Shop among 2,000 UK adults, which found changes to people’s sense of smell are becoming increasingly common.

One in three (33 per cent) of those who have experienced a change attributed it to ageing, while other reasons included illness (20 per cent), allergies (16 per cent), stress (15 per cent), lifestyle changes (15 per cent), hormonal changes (12 per cent) and medication (12 per cent).

The research also highlights the important role perfume can play in how people feel, with 36 per cent associating perfume with confidence, 31 per cent with feeling attractive and almost one in four (23 per cent) viewing scent as part of their identity.

The Scent Rediscovery Service invites customers to talk to one of The Perfume Shop’s trained experts about the perfumes they previously loved, the notes and scent families they are drawn to now and how their preferences may have evolved.

From there, the team will provide personalised recommendations to help customers explore different perfumes in a relaxed and judgement-free environment. Following the consultation, customers will also receive a personalised perfume preference record capturing the perfumes and scent notes that best match their current tastes.

Natalie Silk, store manager at The Perfume Shop Merry Hill, said: “We’re delighted to bring the Scent Rediscovery Service to Merry Hill and give local customers a new way to explore perfume.

“We know that people’s tastes and preferences don’t always stay the same, and that’s what makes perfume discovery so exciting.

“Our team will be there to listen to what customers are looking for, introduce them to different scents and help them find something that feels personal to them.”

Karen Harris, customer director at The Perfume Shop, added: "At The Perfume Shop, we've always believed choosing a perfume is a deeply personal experience. Over time, the way we experience scent naturally changes, whether through different life stages, changing tastes or simply discovering new fragrance families that better reflect who we are.

“We're proud to be introducing the UK's first dedicated in-store Scent Rediscovery Service. It represents another step in our commitment to delivering expert-led, personalised experiences that set our stores apart and help every customer discover, enjoy and fall back in love with perfume.

“The Scent Rediscovery Service has been created to give customers the confidence to explore those changes with the support of our perfume experts. Rather than simply helping someone find a new perfume, we're helping them rediscover the joy of perfume and build a new connection with scent that feels right for them today.”

The Perfume Shop’s Solihull store is also among those taking part in the Scent Rediscovery Service pilot.