BW Confidential - Issue #5 - March/April 2011 - (Page 16)

Update Companies on the move Mavala boosts its brand Switzerland-based nailcare company Mavala is aiming to reinforce its positioning as a complete cosmetic brand, while boosting its international presence this year. The company, which was founded in 1958, is best known for its nail treatment products. And although nails will remain the company’s core business, Mavala wants to build sales in other beauty categories, such as skincare and color. The company launched a skincare line called Mavalia in 2001 and has seen success with products targeting specific skin problems. This year in skincare the brand will introduce a Neck and Décolleté Replenishing Cream, which claims to act on creasing in the neck and chest area. In color, meanwhile, it will unveil a new eye pencil, and in its key category of nails, the brand will introduce a moisturizing nail serum called Mava-Flex and a mattifying top coat product, Color-Matt. In terms of expansion, Mavala plans to open the Mexico market this year and re-launch in Poland, while consolidating its presence in key markets. Mavala does strong business in Anglo markets, with 39% of sales coming from the UK, US and Canada. It also operates subsidiaries in the US and UK (it has a third subsidiary in France). Mavala has benefited from the recent strength of the nailcare category. “We finished 2010 positively and were not really hit by the recession,” explains export manager Doris Maute Bobillier. “Nailcare has grown tremendously over the past two years, although more in the area of color than real treatment. We see this very much linked to the moroseness of the economy, as these products are more affordable and you see an instant result of color.” Aesop stands alone Australian beauty brand Aesop is to speed up its openings of standalone stores with new locations abroad. “We are now well established in Australia, so our focus is to expand in Europe, the US and Asia, initially through new locations in Tokyo and Hong Kong,” Aesop founder Dennis Paphitis tells BW Confidential. The brand currently operates 32 standalone stores and Paphitis says that Aesop could have up to 200 branded boutiques globally in 10 years. Aesop signed a deal with private-equity company Harbert Australia in 2010 to fuel international expansion and opened branch offices in New York, Hong Kong, Paris, London and Tokyo over the past year. The company inaugurated three stores in 2010. A new subsidiary in the US is steering growth in that market and a first store is slated to open on the Lower East Side in Manhattan later this year, as well as two shop-in-shops in the downtown area. The brand will continue to be sold in Barney’s stores in the market, according to Paphitis. In Asia, Aesop opened its first standalone in Tokyo, Japan in December in the Aoyama district and a third store was inaugurated in Hong Kong. This year the company plans to add seven locations to its existing store network. Aesop prides itself on its novel store design. The company’s standalones are each created to have a different design and only the product offer remains the same. In Paris, for example, Aesop’s latest store is fitted out with wooden beams covering the ceiling, walls and the floor, while the brand’s store in Melbourne, Australia is entirely made from industrialgrade cardboard. March-April 2011 - N°5 - BW Confidential Juliette Has a Gun fires on Despite a new product launch and plans to develop in travel retail, French fragrance brand Juliette has a Gun is taking a measured approach to expansion. The brand, founded in 2006 with the aim of “bringing original and provocative products to market,” is now in 45 countries, but in a limited distribution of 1,000 pos worldwide. “We could’ve opened 200 doors in each country all at once; but this costs a lot and it isn’t in my interest to expand distribution and then be gone six months later,” says founder Romano Ricci. This has paid off: the brand doubled its retail sales last year to reach €10m. The brand opened in Russia last year and wants to develop its presence in travel retail. It has 10 travel-retail pos, mostly in the Middle East and South America, and is looking to develop the channel in its biggest domestic markets of Germany and Italy. This softly, softly approach can also be seen in the brand’s product development. After five years, the company has only five fragrances. “My strategy is the opposite of many niche brands that come out with collections or a new scent every three months to get more visibility at retail,” says Ricci. “This is fine at the beginning, but after you’ve launched, what’s next? It’s hard to have something original, and a lot of products creates confusion for the BAs,” he adds. The brand’s latest launch was created around one single ingredient and claims to be allergen-free. Called Not a Perfume, the fragrance began to roll out last October and is based on the Ambroxan ingredient, which is usually used as a base note. 16

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BW Confidential - Issue #5 - March/April 2011

Cover
Comment
Contents
Update
- Brand & retail news recap
- Digital digest
- Companies on the move
Take note
- Market facts, figures & trends
Best of BW
- Highlights from our e-publication
Launches
- The latest in fragrance, skincare & make-up
Interview
- Marionnaud CEO William Koeberlé
Insight: Make-up
- Category overview
- The latest trends
- Retailing strategy
Wellness
- Retail Sales
- Spa case studies
Retail
- New store concepts
Travel retail
- Market analysis: Americas
- Interview: Dufry's José Carlos Rosa
Radar
- Six up-and-coming beauty brands
Market watch: Brazil
- Country overview
- Industry roundtable
- Prestige retailing
Packaging
- Trends in secondary pack
Last word
- The Doneger's Group's Jamie Ross

BW Confidential - Issue #5 - March/April 2011