Beauty product manufacturer L’Oréal is seeking to expand on its 100 years of business by entrenching its position in Africa, and designing products that will make African men and women feel beautiful, despite the global meltdown.
L’Oréal, Philippe Raffray says the next step is to consolidate expansion of the SoftSheen Carson range which has moved into body lotions and to keep growing its markets in SA and the rest of Africa.
L’Oréal has a range of products that span facial care, fragrances and hair care that are targeted at markets ranging from the professional salon to the budget consumer.
Raffray says the company, which has 26 international cosmetics brands and a presence in more than 130 countries, already has a presence on the continent upon which it aims to build. A key market is the African woman, and L’Oréal is seeking growth and expansion into this market, that will require balancing technological innovation with the need for prudent spending.
The group has expanded through innovation, and through targeting products at specific markets. Products are designed to offer consumers something they may not have thought they needed, such as an oscillating mascara wand.
Its South African manufacturing facility works with another in Chicago to create a range of specifically targeted offerings to suit women who may wish to relax their hair, or condition their bodies with lotion, he says.
Raffray says the black market has been ignored for far too long. “You have to listen to what consumers say.” This will give the beauty company, which has 15,8% of a € 110bn global market, room to grow on a continent where challenges may include hairdressers not having enough water to rinse off relaxer, Raffray says.
Hair is an opportunity for the brand, as it is a quick way for a consumer to feel good and beautiful, without a full makeover. “At the end of the day, we make people feel good, we build up their confidence.” source
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