COMPANIES
Estée Lauder (esteelauder.com) today reported $1.71 billion in net sales for its fiscal first quarter ended September 30, 2007, a 7% increase over the $1.59 billion reported in the prior-year quarter. William P. Lauder, president and CEO said, "We have produced solid double-digit sales gains in international this quarter. As this business remains our largest growth potential, we expect continued strong growth as we further expand our developing brands and strengthen our core brands. Our strategic investments are key drivers of our long-term plan to achieve profitable growth. We continued that investment pattern this quarter in our fast-moving businesses as well as established and emerging markets. At this juncture, we remain comfortable with our ability to meet our previously announced guidance of earnings per share of $2.28 to $2.40 for the full 2008 fiscal year."
Lord & Cliff International (lordandcliff.com), which offers Fusion hair extensions and distributes Revlon weaving hair, is now the exclusive worldwide distributor of Bosley haircare products for thinning hair.
Bosley has performed more than 200,000 hair-transplant procedures on men and women in 60 countries and is a well-known brand in the solutions to thinning hair product category. Lord & Cliff International is targeting beauty stores to sell the Bosley haircare products.
The line features Hair & Scalp Cleanser, Hair & Scalp Conditioner, Leave-in Conditioning Treatment, Liquid Styling Gel Treatment, Styling Glaze Treatment and Hair Regrowth Treatment (one for men and another for women). For more information, call 800/241-9983.
Robanda International (robanda.com) has acquired nail manufacturer Realys (tropicalshine.com).
Realys’ products include nail files and buffers under its Tropical Shine brand, and the company also private labels.
“Our plan is to run Realys as an independent, stand-alone company, thereby maintaining the integrity of the brand,” says David Leib, Robanda president. “Part of our growth plans will be to increase the private-label side of the business, as well as the Tropical Shine brand.”
The Clorox Co. announced on Oct. 31 that it would acquire Burt’s Bees (burtsbees.com), supplier of natural personal-care products. Under the terms of the agreement, Clorox will acquire 100% of Burt’s Bees from its stockholders in a transaction that’s structured as a merger.
Founded in 1984, Burt’s Bees manufactures more than 150 products in categories such as lip care, face care, body care, hair care, men’s grooming, baby care and outdoor remedies. Its products are carried in nearly 30,000 retail outlets worldwide.
“This acquisition allows us to enter a growing market that’s consistent with consumer megatrends,” says Clorox chairman and CEO Donald R. Knauss. “With this transaction, we’re entering into a new strategic phase for our company, enabling us to expand further into the natural/sustainable business platform. The Burt’s Bees brand is well-anchored in sustainability and health and wellness, and we believe it will benefit from natural and ‘green’ tailwinds.”
Beth Springer, Clorox’s executive vice president of strategy and growth, will oversee the business. Burt’s Bees president and CEO John Replogle will continue to lead the company, which will still be based in North Carolina.
The transaction is expected to close by the end of calendar year 2007 and is subject to regulatory approval.
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Helen of Troy (hotus.com) has been named to the Forbes 200 Best Small Companies in America list. Candidates for the list all had revenue of $5 million to $750 million and share prices above $5 as of October 1, 2007. They were judged according to return on equity, sustained sales and net profit growth over 12-month and five-year periods. Helen of Troy was ranked No. 20 in total sales, No. 40 in net profits and No. 97 in market value.
"We are very pleased to have been named to this prestigious list by Forbes Magazine," says Gerald J. Rubin, chairman, president and chief executive officer. "I am very proud of the Helen of Troy family around the world and commend them for a job well done."
Effective January, Procter & Gamble Professional Care (pg.com) will reorganize its North American Exclusive Line direct-sales, salon-education and customer-service organizations, the company announced on Nov. 8.
This is the second phase of a restructuring plan and addresses the needs of multiple salon and customer segments. Previously, P&G Professional Care--which includes salon brands such as Wella, Sebastian and Graham Webb--announced plans to restructure support of national accounts and distributors.
“We’re committed to providing the salon industry with the highest level of support to grow the business,” says Reuben Carranza, managing director of North America Professional Exclusive Lines. “As a result of this restructuring, we’ll be better able to serve salons, help grow their business and meet the needs of the salon customer.”
The sales and education organizations will create specific teams to support the needs of full-service salons, regional chains and independent stores. The sales organization will focus on providing support to salons and stylists to drive overall industry growth in key areas such as client retention, referrals, salon traffic, transaction size and service revenue. The education organization will increase its customized programs.
In all, about 60 positions will be eliminated in this reorganization. Affected employees will receive separation support--including pay and benefits for up to 12 months--, outplacement assistance and a retraining allowance.
Regis Corp. (regiscorp.com) quarterly financial results (for the period ending September 30, 2007) show net income of $20.6 million (or $0.46 per diluted share, the midpoint of the previously issued guidance of $0.43 to $0.49 per share.) Quarterly revenue was $668 million compared to $639 million in the same quarter last year. Consolidated same-store sales increased 0.9% for the quarter, including an increase in service same-store sales of 2.3%, versus an overall decrease of 0.3% percent during the comparable quarter a year ago.
During the quarter, Regis added a net total of 81 locations. The company constructed 85 locations, franchisees built an additional 57 units, and 59 franchise buybacks and 42 franchised salons were acquired. Additionally, 84 corporate and franchise locations were either closed or relocated during the quarter, and the company merged its 51 accredited beauty schools with Empire Education Group.
Spilo Worldwide (spilo.com) has yet another exclusive it’s now distributing to the beauty industry: TweezLight.
Each TweezLight stainless steel tweezer contains a built-in LED light for pinpoint accuracy. It can be used, among other things, to shape eyebrows, apply nail decals, remove splinters and make jewelry, and is available in silver, gold, purple and pink. For more information, call 888/225-6342 or email sales@spilo.com.
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