Parisian dream come true for bride-to-be Lisa as she’s named Bexleyheath’s new Perfume Master

Lisa Cooper, manager of The Perfume Shop at Broadway Shopping Centre, Bexleyheath, is packing her suitcases and heading for the French capital after gaining a prestigious Masters qualification in perfumes.

Paris has an extra special place in Lisa’s heart as it was where her fiancé got down on one knee and proposed to her at twilight under the Eiffel tower nine months ago.

But this time Lisa’s fiancé, Daniel Wingrove, also from Dartford, will be staying at home as she and her The Perfume Shop colleagues visit some of Paris’s most famous fragrance houses. They will also explore the heady tourist sites of the city renowned for its fashion, art, culture and gastronomy.

Lisa, 30, said: “It will be different going there without Daniel and I’m sure my heart will skip an extra beat when we see the Eiffel Tower, as I remember my surprise when he proposed and presented me with my engagement ring. But I’m hugely looking forward to the trip. Paris is my favourite city ever, and of course it’s the world’s perfume capital.

“I just love fragrances and the magic chemistry that makes their scent smell so different on each person who wears them. Working for The Perfume Shop is my dream job.”

Lisa said training for her perfume Masters qualification with the company was immensely rewarding as it gave her the chance to meet many perfume experts including one of the global industry’s leading authorities on scents, Michael Edwards, also known as ‘the nose of the UK’.

Michael is a respected author and founding editor of Fragrances of the World, the largest guide to perfume classification. He also wrote Perfume Legends: French Feminine Fragrances and was the inventor of the Fragrance Wheel, now used by perfume retailers all around the globe. The unique classification chart organises scents into families related to one another such those with floral tones, orientals, citrus and fruity notes.

Lisa, who has worked with The Perfume Shop for five years said: “He is amazing. He really knows his scents, I spent a day training with him and I learned so much.

“His mantra is that anyone who sells perfume should know everything there is to know about each of the scents they sell and I believe he is absolutely right. Perfumes are like fingerprints, every one of them is unique. Even if two people are wearing the same brand of perfume the scent will be slightly different on each of them.”

Lisa has always loved experimenting with different perfumes herself but her interest in the history, top secret recipes and development of different scents was heightened from the moment she was recruited by The Perfume Shop.

She said: “I started out in Bluewater branch at Dartford, then later I moved to Broadway as deputy manager. After six months in that role I was thrilled to be promoted to store manager. I have now been here in Broadway four years. I’ve loved it. Broadway Shopping Centre is a great place to work and the customers from Bexley and the surrounding area are really lovely. It’s great to chat to them about all the different fragrances we stock and the more I learn about perfumes, the more I want to share my knowledge with them.”

The Perfume Shop invests heavily in a learning and development programme for all its staff, ensuring that they are trained to high standards in every aspect of the products they sell.

The company has its own management academy and runs a perfume school offering three levels of qualification: foundation, diploma and Masters – with the latter being a course established specially for those with a real perfume passion.

Lisa said: “From the moment I joined the company I knew I wanted to go for the Masters. I made it my goal and I’m thrilled that I’ll be graduating next month, on November 2.

“There’s a special graduation ceremony at the company headquarters in High Wycombe. It gives me a real sense of achievement and it’s fantastic of the company to reward us for our efforts with the trip to Paris.”

Luxury French perfume houses including Givenchy, Coty, Guerlain, Chanel, Lancôme, Hermes, Estee Lauder and Yves Saint Laurent, all have headquarters in Paris.

Lisa said: “We haven’t received our full itinerary yet but I know a previous graduation group which went there got to visit the Jean Paul Gautier and Thierry Mugler perfume houses so hopefully we’ll get to do something equally exciting. I can’t wait. I could talk perfume all day, and no doubt when I get to Paris I will do!”

Broadway Shopping Centre General Manager Peter Sedge said: “I want to say a huge congratulations to Lisa on receiving her perfume Masters qualification.

“It really is a significant achievement and a great stepping stone in furthering her career. We’re extremely proud to have someone so highly qualified in the perfume business right on hand her at Broadway to offer first rate advice.

“Lisa’s enthusiasm for her subject is tremendous and she is well known for the friendly manner is which she helps customers find the perfect scent to complement their personalities.

“We’re also delighted to hear about her engagement and wish her the very best of luck with her wedding plans.”

Lisa met Daniel when he also used to work at Broadway Shopping Centre in a retail kiosk selling football memorabilia near The Perfume Shop. He is now a sales representative with Furniture4U, Bexley.

She said: “We got chatting and we just clicked. He is my other half for sure. We have been together a while but I had no idea he was going to propose when he asked me to go to Paris with him.

Even my mum knew what he was planning as he had secretly been making the arrangements with her. But she never breathed a word to me. He waited until evening to ask me, when the illuminations came on to light up the Eiffel Tower. He got down on one knee, there were people milling all around and at first I thought he was joking around, but when I realised he was serious I had no hesitation saying yes.” The happy couple plan to marry at Dartford Registry Office next May with a reception at Stone Pavilion, Greenhithe.

For more information about forthcoming events or details of stores at Broadway Shopping Centre go to www.broadwayshoppingcentre.com or visit the centre’s Facebook page or Twitter account @BroadwayBexley Based on information supplied by Deb James.