BEAUTY FIRMS' BLUEPRINT FOR RETAIL GROWTH.(moonlighting as shopkeepers)

Byline: Molly Prior

NEW YORK - The relationship that the shopkeeper has with the store is a full-time obsession, declared Leslie Wexner, chairman and chief executive officer of the Limited Brands, at the recent WWD Beauty CEO Summit. Maybe so. But some beauty firms - L'Oral and the Este Lauder Cos. included - are increasingly moonlighting as shopkeepers, lured by the ability to talk directly to consumers.

"I'm convinced that certain brands should have a multichannel distribution strategy," said Edgar Huber, president of the luxury products division at L'Oral USA, naming Lancme in particular. Lancme, which is sold in department stores, has a string of four …