Jo Malone aims to go global as fragrance queen returns from business exile

Jo Malone doesn't have any regrets, which is hard to believe.

The woman behind the eponymous fragrance brand now has nothing to do with it after selling the firm to Estée Lauder in 1999. Retained as creative director and chairwoman, Malone stepped down in 2006 and was then exiled from the industry for five years through a non-compete clause.

"I have no regrets − I'm not that kind of person, it's pointless. Would I sell my company differently? Yes, you learn from those things. What's more important is what lies ahead," Malone told IBTimes UK.

After being banished from the industry she clearly loves, the perfume and cosmetics entrepreneur is back.

In 2011, after half a decade in the wilderness, Malone launched a new business: Jo Loves. The fragrance and candle firm has one store in London's West End, and business is booming.

"We started in 2011 and opened a shop in 2013. Since then, we've had our first launch of a patent, this has catapulted us to the front line. It's a candle you blend yourself, you become creator and consumer. Often a business will grow, keep going, but then you suddenly have that moment where you get complete lift off, an ignition moment, and it's definitely an ignition moment."

That ignition, Malone hopes, will help her take the new brand global. From a single store in London, Malone is now setting her sights on the US.

"It was never about one store, I've had the taste of a global brand in my mouth and that's where I'm heading back to. Once we get through one Christmas here, which will be haywire, I'll start to roll it out next year into new territories. We'll have a couple more stores here, it's a British brand, so we'll start here and our next port of call will probably be the US."

Malone describes the shops as being like "a tapas bar for fragrance". While she is hesitant to discuss just how well the company is doing in financial terms, the fact that the businesswoman is plotting expansion is a good indication.

But expansion can be an expensive endeavour. After her experience of selling her firm the first time round, is Malone willing to take on outside investment again to help the business grow?

"I don't know yet."

What Malone does know is that she's finally back doing what she loves.

"I create fragrances, that's what I do. When we launched, I had four fragrances, and I felt like I was standing there in my underwear. It was a very shocking moment because the world was watching us. Now the world sees Jo Malone as something very different."