BW Confidential - Issue #4 - October/December 2010 - (Page 14)
Update
Companies on the move
Polaar pushes ahead
French skincare brand Polaar is out to expand its international reach and bolster its women’s business. The brand, which was founded in 2006 by Daniel Kurbiel and is based on ingredients from the Arctic and Antarctica, is looking at expansion opportunities in Eastern Europe, Belgium, Asia and the Middle East. The company has hired former Helen of Troy international development director Jean-Philippe Szlachetka to spearhead the international development, and expects exports to account for 50% of business by 2011, up from 20% today. Polaar’s first export market is Poland, where it is sold in Sephora’s 80 doors there. On the product front, Polaar is working to reinforce its presence in women’s skincare. The brand originally launched as a men’s line, but introduced women’s products in 2008 and this offer now accounts for 53% of sales and could reach 75% of business in the long-term. Polaar launched the PureFitness bodycare line this year, which according to Kurbiel was in a bid “not to leave the bodycare segment only to the mass players,” and will roll out two more women’s lines in this fall. The lines include Age Defy, which comprises a serum, lifting cream and eye-contour cream, and Ice Source, which includes a moisturizer and cleanser. The brand will also launch Extreme Care for men and women consisting of a repair cream for the face, a body product and handcare. Polaar claims to have weathered the crisis well, with Kurbiel noting that the brand is the number-one men’s skincare brand at Marionnaud in France and its women’s serum is the number two in that category at the retailer, just behind Lancôme’s Génifique. “The key is that we have a unique offer with our polar ingredients and are not an elitist brand—because of the volume we do, we can offer natural skincare at reasonable prices,” explains Kurbiel. “We focus on being in the field, training and sampling,” he continues. The strategy seems to be working: Polaar says sales have doubled each year since the company launched and it is forecasting €6m in sales for 2010.
Polaar aims to boost its women’s business through new lines, such as AgeDefy
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Maison Francis Kurkdjian expands global footprint
One year after its launch, Paris-based fragrance company Maison Francis Kurkdjian has increased distribution from less than 10 points-of-sale to more than 60 worldwide, mainly through independent perfumeries and department stores. “Given that we launched during the recession, we didn’t quite know what to hope for, but our results are better than expected,” comments founder and perfumer Francis Kurkdjian. In its home market, the brand’s corner in the upscale Bon Marché department store has been moved into a more central position on the beauty floor, while its Paris standalone is also performing well. Outside France, the brand entered 20 Space NK stores in the UK in September, of which 13 are in London, and it is expanding distribution in Germany in the coming months. The company opened its first doors in Australia at Mecca Cosmetics in Sydney and Melbourne in September. In the US the brand has entered Cos Bar boutiques in Colorado and California and will grow its distribution through the Neiman Marcus department store-chain with new openings in Boston, Bal Harbour, Atlanta and Washington D.C. before the end of the year. In celebration of its first anniversary, the brand launched its first two products since the initial range was introduced. The new EdPs are Absolute for the Morning (featuring woody dry amber and violet flower notes) and Absolute for the Evening (Ylang Ylang, cumin, Atlas cedar and sandalwood), both more intense versions of the brand’s Morning and Evening Colognes. Two candles featuring the Absolute scents round out the collection. Kurkdjian is also working on a “travel offer”, the details of which are still under wraps, which is set to launch next year. The company continues to participate in events around fragrance to boost visibility. Future projects include scenting a church in Zurich, Switzerland and a fountain in California, US. The company’s custom fragrance activity is also vibrant, according to Kurkdjian, as this side of the business “helps keep our creative juices flowing”.
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Maison Francis Kurkdjian has come out with two new products, one year after the launch of the brand
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October-December 2010 - N°4 - BW Confidential
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BW Confidential - Issue #4 - October/December 2010
Cover
Comment
Contents
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
- BPI president Rémy Gomez
Insight: fragrance
- Category overview
- Retailing
- Industry viewpoint
- New opportunities
- Launch roundup
Wellness
- Airport Spas
- Spa case studies
Retail
- New store concepts
Travel retail
- Market overview
- Retail strategies
- Interview: World Duty Free & Aldeasa
Show preview
- TFWA World Exhibition
Radar
- Six up-and-coming beauty brands
Market watch: India
- Country overview
- Industry roundtable
- Retailing analysis
Packaging
- Sector outlook
- Sustainability
Last word
- Mintel head beauty consultant Nica Lewis
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