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Published: Friday, July 22, 2005 next
U.K.'s Boots Set to Grow Footprint in U.S. Beauty Market
By Ashley Moore
NEW YORK — Boots Group plc, the U.K.’s leading beauty retailer and a maker of premium beauty products, has targeted the U.S. for major expansion.
The company, which controls a powerful position in the U.K. market, straddles the class-mass divide in pricing, giving it an undeniable draw with consumers. The firm is boosting its beauty product presence in U.S. retail partners CVS and Target, and by this fall, Boots beauty items will be offered in 130 stores, up from 32, which will give it entry into the key markets of Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Dallas, Minneapolis and suburban New York and Boston. This effort will also help the retailer gather data on how to successfully expand here nationwide in 2006 within these retailers.*
The growth looks to generate $10 million in sales of Boots branded beauty products in the U.S. by the end of this year, according to one leading beauty manufacturer. Boots beauty products first appeared in the U.S. in spring 2004 when it inked deals with CVS and Target.
“Beauty shoppers in this country are willing to buy the unusual, premium products in mass retail outlets.”
With 600 beauty items from a mix of six product lines that offer skin care, color cosmetics, hair care, aromatherapy and bath and body, Boots goes head-to-head with national beauty brands made by powerhouses such as Procter & Gamble and L’Oréal. On a smaller scale, the Boots beauty line also competes with exclusive niche beauty brands, which help retailers set themselves apart from their retail competitor down the street.
Asked why Boots had chosen Target and CVS as its American partners, Waters said, “Target is a tremendous retailer and CVS is the leading drug store operation in the U.S and the most innovative in the beauty and skin care arena. We thought there was great potential to pursue a partnership.”
Boots has no plans to launch a retail store in the U.S., Waters said.
“The U.S. drugstore market is very well catered for, [and] Boots’ key message is that we are committed to the partnership we have,” he said.
Waters said he is considering exploring a move into the Canadian and Mexican markets, pending what the outcome of the U.S. project.
Internationally, Boots has its footprint in Europe with the Migros chain in Switzerland, Etos in Holland, Unichem pharmacies in New Zealand and Watson’s drugstores in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
excerpt from wwd.com
U.K.'s Boots Set to Grow Footprint in U.S. Beauty Market
By Ashley Moore
NEW YORK — Boots Group plc, the U.K.’s leading beauty retailer and a maker of premium beauty products, has targeted the U.S. for major expansion.
The company, which controls a powerful position in the U.K. market, straddles the class-mass divide in pricing, giving it an undeniable draw with consumers. The firm is boosting its beauty product presence in U.S. retail partners CVS and Target, and by this fall, Boots beauty items will be offered in 130 stores, up from 32, which will give it entry into the key markets of Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Dallas, Minneapolis and suburban New York and Boston. This effort will also help the retailer gather data on how to successfully expand here nationwide in 2006 within these retailers.*
The growth looks to generate $10 million in sales of Boots branded beauty products in the U.S. by the end of this year, according to one leading beauty manufacturer. Boots beauty products first appeared in the U.S. in spring 2004 when it inked deals with CVS and Target.
“Beauty shoppers in this country are willing to buy the unusual, premium products in mass retail outlets.”
With 600 beauty items from a mix of six product lines that offer skin care, color cosmetics, hair care, aromatherapy and bath and body, Boots goes head-to-head with national beauty brands made by powerhouses such as Procter & Gamble and L’Oréal. On a smaller scale, the Boots beauty line also competes with exclusive niche beauty brands, which help retailers set themselves apart from their retail competitor down the street.
Asked why Boots had chosen Target and CVS as its American partners, Waters said, “Target is a tremendous retailer and CVS is the leading drug store operation in the U.S and the most innovative in the beauty and skin care arena. We thought there was great potential to pursue a partnership.”
Boots has no plans to launch a retail store in the U.S., Waters said.
“The U.S. drugstore market is very well catered for, [and] Boots’ key message is that we are committed to the partnership we have,” he said.
Waters said he is considering exploring a move into the Canadian and Mexican markets, pending what the outcome of the U.S. project.
Internationally, Boots has its footprint in Europe with the Migros chain in Switzerland, Etos in Holland, Unichem pharmacies in New Zealand and Watson’s drugstores in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
excerpt from wwd.com
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