BW Confidential

It’s usual for the majors to single out high growth rates in emerging markets, and at its recent analysts’ meeting L’Oréal, like its peers,

There’s a lot of change going on at some of the major retail players

It may be the Chinese New Year, and growth in China still does much to excite beauty executives, but in recent months

Politicians may have begun the year with gloomy predictions for the economy in 2012, especially in Europe,

It was the year that was difficult to figure out. Despite alarming reports about

More companies are looking at more ways to build business in China.

The market tends to get excited when there’s any sign of Western retailers making a foray into emerging markets.

Talk has surfaced once again about the growing divide between high-end luxury products and the middle-to-mass market.

An industry forecaster looking to predict the trends of the beauty market over the next year or two

Opinions are still divided about the impact of the deteriorating economic situation will have on beauty, especially in Europe.

Despite many beauty companies now saying that digital has become a cornerstone of their marketing strategies, it seems the old fear

So much for the quiet summer period. August turned out to be stormy in every sense of the word.

It’s been a busy few weeks in beauty. There has been a spate of small buys from Designer Parfums’ acquisition of the Jean Patou business and TPR H…

Ask any analyst about a retailer that is doing a good job and they’re sure to mention Apple

While the BRIC countries continue to generate a lot of excitement

Recent trading statements from some of the big manufacturers reveal three main trends: a tough business in

You wouldn’t think that today’s retail buyers could have a hard time finding new brands. But listening to conversations from executives on the dis…

Last month saw more evidence of brick-and-mortar retailers taking greater interest in online sales, with US drugstore chain Walgreens’ acquisition o…

Just a few days ago LVMH said it would acquire control of Italian luxury-goods company Bulgari—this just a few months after the French

Once upon a time e-commerce meant selling through a branded site or on a retail partner’s site. But it’s now becoming increasingly difficult to ta…

Recent data on beauty paints a relatively positive picture of the market.

The BRIC markets don’t seem to hold as much fascination for German perfumery chain Douglas as they do for LVMH-owned Sephora.

Overall, the holiday season may have turned out to be better than expected for beauty. Retailers reported improved levels of traffic and average ticke…

The year 2010 is ending on a note of M&A—in the fourth quarter alone there have been at least seven major acquisitions in beauty. There were also ru…

At the height financial crisis most beauty companies more than willingly talked up their growth and expansion in China, and were happy to shine the li…

Brands and retailers don’t usually like small product sizes for obvious reasons, but the problem is that consumers do. And increasingly so.

There seems to be a lot more optimism around the prestige category, just in time for the upcoming holiday season.

After a relatively calm period when the big groups were conserving their cash and playing it safe, the market now seems set for a new wave of M&A.

Back in the old days of the internet—about 10 years
ago—discussion about buying and selling online
usually very quickly came around to the issue…

If the industry needed any more proof that retail models are changing and consumers are buying differently, it only needs to look at the launch of the…

Are men back on the radar? For years the beauty industry has talked about the growth potential of men’s skincare and cosmetics. Most of the major pr…

Negative comments and criticism have been one of the beauty’s industry’s main fears when it comes to social networks. Although statistics show tha…

A lot of questions are being asked about how the internet will change retailing. There is little data about how much of a brand’s sales have made th…

What’s the outlook for Europe? At the beginning of the year the industry was looking forward to a better 2010 on the continent—Christmas sales wer…

It’s no surprise that the Tax Free Asia Pacific show, which took place in Singapore in May, went off so well

Confidence seems to be returning to the market. Analysts got excited about March retail sales in the US, which were peppered with double-digit growth …

Another beauty company changed hands in the past week: Avon took over UK skincare brand Liz Earle. While there has been l

Should beauty brands begin to worry more about private label? Most of the big players do not see the category as too much of a threat. Even a year of …

The recession brought up many questions about the pricing of beauty products.

A new business book called Smart Growth: Building an Enduring Business by Managing the Risks of Growth by Ed Hess would be welcome reading for many be…

Beauty brands are beginning to spend again. Both Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) and P&G said last week that they would increase investments in marketin…

Most beauty executives were glad to say goodbye to 2009 and are looking forward to a better 2010. At BW Confidential, we are particularly enthusiastic…

It’s showtime. In these crucial few weeks before Christmas the question on everyone’s lips, perhaps more than in previous years, is whether consum…

It’s no surprise that new technology is forcing a change in brands’ media marketing mix. But what is a little more subtle is how the message and n…

All those good intentions expressed at the height of the recession about limiting product launches, abandoning flankers and focusing on core lines see…

The US may be technically coming out of a recession and the stock market may have seen important gains in recent weeks, but beauty executives are unea…

Getting back to basics has become a familiar refrain when discussing strategies to beat the recession. someone to sell it.

Most brands claim to know their consumer. They have study upon study detailing their consumer’s socio-economic status, income, age group, habits, li…

Coffee house Starbucks recently announced that it was going back to its premium roots with the opening of a new café concept.