Breno Salek, marketing and sales director at The Beauty Box

Breno Salek, marketing and sales director at The Beauty Box

Premium Beauty News - How many stores does The Beauty Box currently have in Brazil?

Breno Salek - We have 37 stores in five Brazilian states: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Distrito Federal and Minas Gerais.

Premium Beauty News - What is more lucrative for the company in terms of sales - physical stores or online retail?

Breno Salek - Brands these days have to connect to customers through every available channel, be it physical or digital. Both are profitable and e-commerce shows a lot of potential; it has been continuously gaining traction in our business.

Premium Beauty News - What are the top-selling brands in your network?

Breno Salek - The international blockbusters are Carolina Herrera, Dior, Paco Rabanne and Lancôme. Semi-exclusive labels like French brand Nuxe, Lee Stafford from the UK and US-based The Balm are also very popular, as well as our own brand, which is increasingly gathering new fans.

Premium Beauty News - What is your brand’s strategy right now, considering that in the last few years there has been a high penetration of international brands in the Brazilian market and taking into account the shift of domestic brands towards lower-income consumers?

Breno Salek - We have a high-low portfolio strategy to supply customers from A to Z. To ensure our marketing mix matches with this wide audience, we gather intelligence on the customers visiting the shopping malls where we operate and on the purchase power in each region. In my experience, people have so much access to information these days that certain brands and products are sought after despite their social class. What changes is the payment method [1] and the impact on the consumer’s budget.

Premium Beauty News - What is The Beauty Box’s demographics?

Breno Salek - We have a very wide audience, with women in different age groups, as well as a sizeable male audience that seeks out to our men’s grooming and male fragrances sections. Talking specifically about our target audience, we’re aiming for 18- to 35-year old females who love to look pretty, care about their bodies and minds, have their own style and are always up to date with the latest trends.

Premium Beauty News - Which category is more popular - fragrances, hair care or makeup?

Breno Salek - Perfumes are undoubtedly the workhorse of the business. Makeup is growing nonetheless, in part due to the constant innovation brands bring to the table and the fact that it’s a segment closely connected to the fashion world.

Premium Beauty News - What sales strategies have been giving out the best results for The Beauty Box?

Breno Salek - We’re always offering new experiences to the point of sale, bringing the brand’s universe closer to consumers by offering trials, exclusive gifts and attractive deals. We also invest heavily in visual merchandising, with information that puts the products into context, and offer a beauty curatorship to customers, with recommendations for their daily beauty routine.

Premium Beauty News - What’s next for The Beauty Box?

Breno Salek - We’re opening 15 new points of sale in 2016, opening way for new markets in the Northeast and South of Brazil. We’re also investing heavily on our e-commerce platform, which is vital to our omnichannel approach.