Page 35 - TFWA World Exhibition and Conference 2025

INSIDER

One of the most legendary launches Kattoura was involved with was for Versace Dreamer, held in Cancun in 1997.

One on One with Raymond Kattoura
Pioneering duty free entrepreneur helped shape Caribbean luxury market

One year after Buenos Aires-based A native of Israel, Kattoura came to
Perfumerias Rouge announced it was the United States for college, ending up in
expanding into the Caribbean and launched Palm Beach and Miami, where his strong
its first stores in Grand Cayman in July of international network enabled him to open
2015, the aggressively growing company a boutique in exclusive Key Biscayne
audaciously forecast that it was on track to carrying high-end fashion brands like
deliver 15 stores within two years. Claude Montana and Versace. The shop
A water-front perfumery in St. also carried perfumes, and Kattoura was
Thomas, an extensive presence in Grenada, eventually recruited by La Prairie, which
and two stores in St. Croix soon followed, was just launching at the time, to open
and the company has since added locations some international markets for them.
in Sint Maarten, Trinidad & Tobago and “I started in St Thomas, where I found
Tulum, Mexico, as well as opening the Tropicana, whose owner, the legendary
only Creed Boutique in the Caribbean Estelle Roth, helped me a lot,” recalls
in St. Barth. Today the pan-Caribbean Kattoura. “From St Thomas, I opened
powerhouse operates 24 of some of the St. Martin, Aruba, Curaçao, Cancun and
most elegant shops in the region that Mexico City and others.”
feature a distinctive portfolio of brands and The company distributing La Prairie Raymond Kattoura
a luxurious style of retailing. then added the Donna Karan fragrances
This incredible success is largely to the portfolio, and Kattoura took the it, although the decision to leave La Prairie
attributed to Raymond Kattoura, whose fragrance to the Caribbean. was really hard.”
company Duty Free & Travel Retail Group This was in the early 1990s and Kattoura’s role at Genesis entailed
Inc. manages the business for Rouge Duty Louis Bared, one of the most important a lot of travel to Italy, where he met the
Free, the Caribbean and North American retailers in the Caribbean running such major houses in the fragrance and beauty
business for Perfumerias Rouge, one of stores as Perfume Palace, Bolero and industry as well as the designers from
Argentina’s leading beauty companies. Cartier, introduced Kattoura to Luis and Scariboldi of EuroItalia, Dr. Martone of
Kattoura has been a major presence in Norma Quintero, who were establishing ICR, Eurocosmesi, Itiery, among others
the Americas duty free business since the a fragrance distribution company called and reconnected with many of the Italian
1980s, and is responsible for some of the Genesis, which went on to become one of designers he had met when operating the
most lasting and memorable launches in the the most successful duty free companies in fashion boutique.
region. His long history in the Caribbean the region for the next decade. “We became a close family, where we
and hands-on approach have given him “Genesis was a new company at the shared travel, vacations and many other
unique insights into travel retail in this time. They didn’t have many lines. But great memories. I remember the designer
market. they made me a very good offer and I took Gai Mattiolo each year used to spend a

35 October 2025