The Hindu Business Line : Beaute Boutique set to bring in Spain’s Byphasse

Mumbai, July 8 After launching the Israeli company Mon Platin’s Dead Sea mineral-based skin care products and Italy’s popular designer perfume brand Arrogance in India recently, Beaute Boutique, a retail chain of beauty and cosmetic products with 60 outlets, is set to bring into the country Spain’s famous personal care brand Byphasse.

The Mumbai-based retail company has entered into a strategic alliance with Spain’s Dober Import & Export to distribute the latter’s Byphasse (pronounced bee-fass) products in India. Byphasse, which is manufactured in Spain and distributed in more than 40 countries, has a range of about 60 different products for the entire family.

Exclusive tie-ups

“While a number of the world’s big names in the beauty care segment already have a presence in India directly or indirectly, our strategy is to bring to India other equally renowned brands through exclusive tie-ups. All these players want to enter India due to the market potential,” Mr Zuhair Nabee, Managing Director of Beaute Boutique, told Business Line.

The retail company plans to roll out over 150 outlets in India by the 2008 and 250 by the end of 2009 through the franchise, owned and shop-in-shop routes.

The company recently tied-up with Israel’s Mon Platin, which is known to come out with a range of cosmetics and skin care products formulated with the salt, mud and minerals of the Dead Sea. “The Dead Sea’s mineral diversity is legendary and includes huge amounts of potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium, chloride and other beneficial minerals,” according to Mr Nabee.

The company recently concluded a similar tie-up with Schiapparelli Pikenz of Italy for exclusive distribution rights of its perfume brand, Arrogance, in India.

The Arrogance brand offerings include Eau de Toilette sprays, hair and body shampoos, perfumed gels, deodorant sticks, colognes and perfumes for men and women.

After from these two tie-ups, Beaute Boutique launched Poland’s research-based producers of body and skin care products, Eveline Laboratories. Eveline produces more than 300 types of cosmetics, which are sold in 40 countries, including Russia, Ukraine and Baltic States, Western Europe and USA.

RETAIL SCENE UNORGANISED

“The organised beauty care products segment is growing at 15-18 per cent annually, but the market for imported premium and high-end products is growing at over 35 per cent. We plan to tap this market through similar exclusive in-licensing tie-ups,” Mr Nabee said. He also points out that the beauty care retail scene is extremely unorganised in India.

The Nabee family pioneered the introduction of global cosmetics products in the early 90s when it introduced the popular London’s Yardley brand in India.