A BRAND new independent cosmetics retailer has arrived in Salisbury, hoping to bring a new smell to the city.

Scent & Colour, moved into the Cross Keys shopping centre on Saturday, November 19, and its co-founder is aiming to hit the ground running.

Celia Garcia-Rubio and her partner William Straughan met while at university in Canada, and both dreamed of starting a business.

With Celia's family in Spain already producing perfume and cosmetics, a route into business lay open, and when a window opened in Salisbury, the pair jumped at the opportunity to set up shop.

22-year-old Celia said: "It was a really quick turnover, as the opportunity to move into the Cross Keys only came up ten days before we opened.

"It is a new type of business, and with the absence of LUSH in Salisbury, we decided it would be the perfect place to start."

With a wide range of perfume and aftershave, 65 types for woman and 30 for men, Scent & Colour aim to cater for many different tastes.

Customers who enter the store looking for something similar to a High Street model, will be able to receive a similar scent, in some cases for a fraction of the price.

No products are tested on animals, they are completely vegan, and all bottles can be recycled in the form of refills.

Celia was optimistic that the store would be a success.

She said: "We have done better than expected, and the whole plan is going really well.

"People come in to the store and wonder what we are, but soon after they seem really keen.

"Some people just like brand names, but when they smell how similar our perfume is to more famous names then I am sure they will come back."

With the majority of stock sourced and produced in Spain, and shipped across weekly, fresh scents will regularly enter Cross Keys.

The couple are hopeful of establishing a second store in the near future, but Celia said they had to be realistic.

"Ideally we would like to open another store in six months, but I think it is a realistic possibility that we could have one opened within a year.

"Christmas is coming and we are hoping to do very well, if that is the case then who knows.

"We love Salisbury, the customers and people in general are very friendly, and we will be very happy here."