Premium Beauty News - What does “full-service” mean at Maesa?
Sophie Thiolas - We manufacture f turn-key lines of tailor-made cosmetic and perfumery products for our customers, as well as packaging and promotional items.
We provide a full service as we conceive our customers’ cosmetics ranges from A to Z: from the market study, to the conception, to selection of relevant packaging options, and tailor-made and the design of entirely customized formulations, to the production, quality control and delivery. Actually, Maesa takes care of every step.
Our customers - retailers and brand owners - need to focus on their main business: marketing and distribution. We offer them efficient product lines, so as they do not need to take care of the vagaries of design, product development and manufacture.
Premium Beauty News - What is the scope of your know-how?
Sophie Thiolas - Actually, once we’re working on a project, we usually dedicate a full-time team to it with the aim cover all the aspects. The following persons may be involved: a sales manager, an innovation task force headed by Maesa’s Creative Director, a brand manager, a designer, a regulatory affairs manager and a logistics manager.
Our customers therefore benefit from the creativity and the quality of a dedicated team but do not have to support related fixed costs; That’s exactly what we mean about “full-service”. We can also extend our vision to the retail environment and develop the merchandising, the POS advertising and promotional samples.
In practice, we adapt our service to the specific needs and goals of each customer. For instance, we cooperate with a network of selected suppliers worldwide in order to identify those matching with each project. As a result, a product may be made of various components sourced from manufacturing facilities in Europe, the USA or Asia. Each year, we develop more than 3,000 new products for our customers.
Premium Beauty News - Can you name some of your latest successful developments?
Sophie Thiolas - There are plenty! Concerning the most recent ones, let’s mention the System U sun-care range featuring 18 SKUs and covering all the segments of the market for offering a tailor-made protection to the entire family. Let’s also mention the Carrefour’s bath and body-care line, under the “Rites Originels” brand, featuring 14 SKUs covering the entire body and hair care segments.
Eventually, I’d like to highlight the products we developed for Pimkie, in particular the Lili Vanilla, Sexy Pink and Love Purple toilet waters. Maesa has entirely refreshed the line, through the development of new design for the closures, mixing retro chic and pure lines, and the definition of new packaging colours and graphics, but keeping the vials unchanged. We also developed Pimkie’s Love Sun Shine and Love Island toilet waters that will be launched on the summer 2009.
Premium Beauty News - Creativity appears to be the main component of your new development strategy?
Sophie Thiolas - Yes, of course! One of the major trends of the latest years is the emergence of a “third generation” of retailer owned brands. Consumers want products with an original positioning and a quality similar to branded goods. The consequence is that retailer owned brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Boots or Sephora have gained a wide recognition. Retailers can no longer offer “me too” brands. With the creation of a Creative Department headed by Paul Houlsby, Maesa has achieved the restructuration that will help us to bring the creativity and innovation needed to propose the future successful retailer owned brands.
