Recently, important personnel changes at three major suppliers to beauty stores were announced.

At Tweezerman International (tweezerman.com), Kathy Harvey (516.676.7772, ext. 166, kharvey@tweezerman.com) is the new director of sales for professional markets. Harvey has nearly 15 years of health and beauty industry experience, spending one-third of it at Flowery Beauty. “It’s exciting to have Kathy join our team,” says Art Malen, Tweezerman’s executive vice president of global sales. “She’s well-respected in the beauty industry and known for her understanding of the business and focus on building customer relationships.”

      At the Angles BeautyCare Group’s HAIelite (hai-elite.com), Gary Allen (760.613.3602, gary@hai-elite.com) is the new western regional sales manager. Allen will focus on developing distribution and enhancing existing distributor relationships in the West. He is also responsible for implementing educational programs and market-specific promotions in the West. Allen has more than 30 years of experience in the pro beauty industry, including more than two decades as the western division sales manager for Conair (conairpro.com) and western field sales manager for Zotos International (zotos.com). “We’re ecstatic about adding Gary to our team,” says Richard Ouellette, Angles BeautyCare Group’s CEO. “His experience, work ethic and his inspiration are real blessings to a growing company such as ours.”

      And at Robanda International (robanda.com), Nicole Krakowski (310.614.3442,
nicole@robanda.com) is now creative director. Krakowski has been a makeup artist for more than 10 years, and has been featured in musical videos and international editorial work. She has worked with some of the hottest fashion designers, and has been a red-carpet celebrity artist for the Oscars and other A-list award shows and events. Krakowski also has a broad range of experience in the cosmetics industry as a product-development specialist and in manufacturing, distribution and marketing. “We look forward to Nicole being an integral part of our team,” says president David Leib.
      These industry moves make each of these manufacturers stronger now than they were just a little while ago. And these new hires will also help beauty store owners, managers and distributors.

See you next Wednesday,
Marc

If you’re still in doubt about how much positive impact ecommerce sales can have on your beauty store’s revenues, just watch Sally Beauty Supply this upcoming holiday shopping season. Internet Retailer reported on July 10 at internetretailer.com the No. 1 beauty supply chain’s plans (“Sally Beauty Supply prepares for first big e-commerce holiday season”) after talking with Richard BenBassett, SBS’ senior director of ecommerce.

      According to the news story, BenBassett, who used to work at folica.com (and was interviewed in a store profile of that business in the January 2008 Beauty Store Business), says that Sally wants to offer more than 5,000 beauty products at sallybeauty.com this holiday season, including some merchandise that won’t be sold in its brick-and-mortar channel. Currently, the site, which launched ecommerce in October 2007 with some products after previously being information only, offers only 400, BenBassett told the magazine.

      This is a great way for SBS, a division of a public company, to grow. And it’s really bad news for many multicultural beauty store owners, who after playing the “price, price, price” game for so many years are hurting in today’s economic downturn. It will get even worse for them now that Sally’s products will be everywhere there’s a computer…forever. You don’t think that Sally will simply stop what it has been planning to do online once the holidays are over, do you?

See you next Wednesday,
Marc

Cosmoprof North America, the biggest show of the year for beauty store owners, managers, and beauty product distributors, ended yesterday in Las Vegas. However, I urge you to continue attending beauty trade shows throughout the rest of 2008, especially EX•TRACTS (extractsny.com, 800.272.7469) on Aug. 17-21 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and Natural Products Expo East (expoeast.com, 866.458.4935) on Oct. 15-18 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

      EX•TRACTS, which is presented in conjunction with the New York International Gift Show (nyigf.com, 800.272.7469), showcases established and innovative personal-care resources, including aromatherapy, candles, cosmetics, home spa items, perfumes, skin care, bath and body care, beauty accessories, hair care, natural and organic products, apothecary gifts, and well-being lines. “EX•TRACTS’ targeted programs and events are designed to help personal-care retailers stay on top of market research and forecast data,” says Dorothy Belshaw, vice president and show director. One interesting seminar, Beauty Trends: What’s New, What’s Next, is for retailers who want to increase sales of spa, salon and specialty beauty products.

      Natural Products Expo East is the East Coast’s largest natural and organic products trade show, and includes health and beauty supplies. This annual show is relocating after 23 years in the mid-Atlantic region. Last year it was held in Baltimore. Registration is free for qualified retail buyers, distributors and brokers until Sept. 12, 2008, so be sure to take advantage of that offer.

      Yes, travel these days can be expensive. But don’t underestimate the value of these two shows. I guarantee that your ROI will be high.

See you next Wednesday,
Marc

Political insiders James Carville and Mary Matalin, who are perhaps best known for their stints on CNN’s Crossfire, will be the keynote speakers at the Professional Beauty Association’s (probeauty.org) Annual Business Forum on Sunday, July 13, during Cosmoprof North America in Las Vegas. Recently, the three of us chatted about the salon industry and their upcoming event.
      It truly amazes me how the professional beauty industry touches almost everyone, including this husband-and-wife team. Matalin grew up around beauty shops. Her mom was a beautician, ran beauty schools and taught too. Matalin likes salon stores “for the best selection of professional products” and loves all salon services. And Carville sports one of the most famous shaved-head looks around. “I shaved J.C.’s head once,” she relates. “He has done it himself ever since, using a straight razor or mechanical.”
      At the PBA Forum, Carville and Matalin will focus on the 2008 presidential election and try to put it in some perspective. They plan to discuss, among other things, the decision-making processes for choosing the Republican and Democratic vice presidential candidates. Matalin will offer commentary; then Carville; followed by questions from the audience, which they encourage. Ask them about anything, they add.
      The PBA Forum is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the Mandalay Bay Ballroom at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Convention Center. Doors open at 7:30 a.m. The cost is $35 for PBA members, $55 for nonmembers, and includes a light continental breakfast. Tickets are still available to this CPNA event. Visit cosmoprofnorthamerica.com or call 800.557.3356; outside the United States, 916.774.8682.

See you next Wednesday,
Marc

Last week Graham Professional Beauty Products (grahambeauty.com, 800.438.8594), a leading manufacturer of disposable sundry products for hair and nail salons, barbershops and spas, announced that it acquired Famis Manufacturing, a supplier of single-use beauty and barber items. Both companies are based in Green Bay, WI.

      “The acquisition of Famis is an excellent fit within the existing core business of Graham Beauty,” says Dave Albers, Graham Beauty’s national sales manager. “The Famis line of styling strips—Wrap-It and Wrap-It Jr.—will complement Graham’s many well-known brands in the industry. This allows us to enhance our product and service offerings to key customers.”
Graham is a division of Little Rapids Corp. (littlerapids.com) that was created in the 1990s when Little Rapids acquired Kimberly-Clark Corp.’s barber and beauty business—along with nationally recognized brands such as Sanek and CelluCotton—and Marcal’s professional towel line. Graham’s other brands include HandsDown, PST and Wubbies towels, Barbee gloves and Spa Essentials spa products.

      Famis (pronounced “famous”) is an acronym for Finest At Manufacturing, Innovation and Service. Jim Schmitt, the current, two-term mayor of Green Bay, founded it in 1994. In June 2003, he became a minor shareholder in Famis, and Famis was then owned and operated by Ralph and Beth Aschenbrenner. “We’re proud of our products and their growth,” says Ralph Aschenbrenner. “However, we’re at a point where we need additional expertise and capital to take it to the next step. Little Rapids will provide that.”

      This deal allows Graham to become an even greater one-stop sundries supplier in the pro beauty biz by purchasing a company with a superb reputation in the marketplace and some strong brands. And it gives the division some great pickups in the Wrap-It and Wrap-It Jr. lines. Originally, they were available in white, then later in black. Both are already big sellers in the professional multicultural beauty sector. Beauty product distributors and redistributors should be extremely pleased with this transaction for a variety of reasons.

      As for manufacturer reps, Graham’s existing firms are now handling the former Famis lines that the division is selling, which includes end papers: CFN Beauty Representation (cfnsales.com, 800.338.0473) in the Northeast; Southeast Rep Services (srstom@comporium.net, 803.285.8689, 803.285.8690); Jay Stone Sales (jaystonesales.com, 800.333.1201) in the Southwest; Van Nest Coleman & Associates in the Midwest (tharrison@vannestcoleman.com, 800.888.7377); and GM & Associates in the West (gmassociates.net, 800.533.8535).

      And at Cosmoprof North America (cosmoprofnorthamerica.com; 800.557.3356; outside the United States, 916.774.8682), Graham will promote the recently acquired lines along with its own products in booth D11190. Graham’s newest offerings there will include: disposable, disinfecting Sanek Hard Surface Wipes; Sanek Hand Wipes; a fabulous spa table paper heart-charity promotion; and Spa Essentials Cotton Rounds in two sizes along with Oval Cotton Eye Pads/Covers.

See you next Wednesday,
Marc