HomeWorld Business 07/19/10 Vol. 22 No. 15 : Page 1
VOLUME 22 No. 15 JULY 19-AUGUST 1, 2010 THE NEWSPAPER FOR THE HOUSEWARES DECISION MAKER® ICICD Publications D Pub ca on merchants2010 Calculated Risk-Takers Command Respect In Housewares W HOMEWORLD BUSINESS® REPORT elcome to the 11th annual HOMEWORLD BUSINESS® Impact Merchants special report.Housewares suppliers, representing the categories that HomeWorld covers, once again were asked to nominate buyers andmerchandisers believed to have made a significant impact dur-ing the past year. The selection of thef a definitive list of thef annual Impact Merchant winners is nots Douglas Mott Drugstore.com Kimberly Toole Pier 1 Imports Aileen Neumann Crate & Barrel Dean Eaton Your Kitchen Store Conair Brings Frieda To Appliance Side BY BILL MCLOUGHLIN EXECUTIVE EDITOR STAMFORD, CT— Conair’s re-cent announcement that it had licensed the John Frieda brand to market and distribute a line of pre-f miumhair appliances, reflects the increasing synergy between the salon and personal care appliance business in capturing consumer at-r tention and styling dollars. Consumers’ positive response to salon brands and the features they’ve come to associate with the tools used by their y stylists, has set the tone for the retail styling ap-pliance business for the last sever-al years. The move to link brands on page 32 y vendors polled. t intended as severalmore buyers and merchandisers than those featured here. This year’s honorees represent buyers in given categories that received the majority of votes by best merchants in housewares retailing. Votes went to d We’re eating at home more now and need a way to keep our leftovers fresh. * Sara – New Jersey KEEP IT * Jennifer – Michigan Fresh! MADE IN USA ©2010 sterilite corporation / www.sterilite.com * Sterilite Consumer Research conducted Fall 2009
Calculated Risk-Takers Command Respect In Housewares
Welcome to the 11th annual HOMEWORLD BUSINESS® Impact Wmerchants special report. Housewares suppliers, representing the categories that HomeWorld covers, once again were asked to nominate buyers andmerchandisers believed to have made a significant impact during the past year.
The selection of the annual Impact Merchant winners is not intended as a definitive list of the best merchants in housewares retailing. Votes went to several more buyers and merchandisers than those featured here. This year’s honorees represent buyers in given categories that received the majority of votes by vendors polled.
Conair Brings Frieda To Appliance Side
Bill Mcloughlin
STAMFORD, CT— Conair’s recent announcement that it had licensed the John Frieda brand to market and distribute a line of premium hair appliances, reflects the increasing synergy between the salon and personal care appliance business in capturing consumer attention and styling dollars.
Consumers’ positive response to salon brands and the features they’ve come to associate with the tools used by their stylists, has set the tone for the retail styling appliance business for the last several years. The move to link brands Associated with hair repair products to personal care appliances takes that trend one step further.
While details on the new collection, which will include hair dryers, straighteners, and styling tools were not available at presstime, the positioning of the Frieda brand suggests a number of potential eventualities. The Frieda brand’s portfolio of hair care products is built on hair-type-specific formula customization. Among the company’s current portfolio for example are shampoos and conditioners designed specifically for blondes, brunettes and red heads. And while the appliance segment is less able to support such customization from a cost and retail shelf space standpoint, products with feature sets and/or market positioning that more closely link styling appliance options to consumer hair type appears one area of opportunity.
Froma retailperspective, the move coincides with the growing trend in food, drug and mass channels to merchandise personal care appliances within health and beauty aids rather than in housewares departments.
Through its new licensing agreement with Kao Brands, marketers of Jurgens skin care and Ban deodorant products, Conair has teamed with an Established player not only in the hair care arena but within retailers’ ove rall health and personal care departments.
“Our relationship with the John Frieda brand is a perfect marriage of hair care leaders,” said Ron Diamond, president Of Conair Corporation. “The John Frieda brand is world-renowned for hair care and styling products, just as Conair is internationally recognized as a leader in hair care appliances, offering great value and performance.” William J. Gentner, president and CEO of Kao Brands Company, said, “Both the Conair and John Frieda brands are leaders in the art of hair transformation.
Both are dedicated to leveraging our professional expertise to bring innovative Solutions to the retail beauty market. The collaboration between our two companies is a natural fit.” From a merchandising perspective the licensing agreement creates the potential for key mass retailers to create brand “shops” bringing together appliances and hair care solutions into a single brand statement. With styling appliances already merchandised adjacent to shampoos and conditioners on some key retail shelves, the extension of the Frieda brand into appliances simplifies the process of realigning displays. In addition to hair care appliances the licensing agreement encompasses non-electric styling tools, bringing another synergistic category to Potential cross merchandising statements.
“The two brands have great synergy on so many levels,” said Ron Diamond, president of Conair Corporation. “The expansion of the John Frieda brand into hair appliances will provide opportunity for our retail partners to reach the beauty customer with a complete hair care regimen.” According to Babe Rizzutto, vp/public relations at Conair, packaging for Conair’s new Frieda hair care appliance line will mirror that of Kao’s Frieda brand, giving retailers the ability to create end caps or in-line displays that offer consumers a unified and clearly defined shopping statement under the brand.
The Frieda brand also gives Conair another weapon in the battle for retail shelf space. With salon brands continuing to migrate into mass retail, the ability to offer retailers both established consumer hair appliance brands as well as appliances with brands consumers associate with the salon experience serves to strengthen the supplier’s portfolio.
The John Frieda hair styling tools collection is currently slated for a first quarter 2011 launch within food, drug and mass channels, though details on individual launch partners were not available at presstime.
