Maesa, which is positioned as a designer and manufacturer of beauty products, scented products, as well as tailor-made packaging products, is considering the year 2010 with confidence. According to Julien Saada, the group’s President, “2010 can only, it is obvious, be better than the year we just passed”. Explanations…
Engineering Beauty
In January 2009, Maesa moved to new headquarters, in a 1700 square metres building that gathers under a single roof all the group’s operations located in France. The new premises also feature a laboratory for the formulation of cosmetic products, and two design workshops.
In parallel, the group strengthened its sales team for the English market as well as its export team. The divisions “promotions” and “packaging” are merged under the supervision of Nathalie Bringant, while Zorbit LCC (turnover; 45 million dollars), Maesa’s US subsidiary, a specialist of luxury packaging for luxury and beauty brands, that the group acquired on December 2008, changed its name to Maesa LLC.
Maesa’s managers prefer describing their activity with the words Engineering Beauty that match with a mission that covers all the operations “from design to the finished product”. Other people would describe such activity a full service.
“There are four miin axes within our business model, tells Julien Saada, bringing added value to brands and retailers, manufacturing on demand, outsourcing the development and the production, and being a source of cost reduction for brands and retailers”.
2009 higlights
From a commercial perspective, the main highlights for Maesa consisted in the creation of cosmetic ranges for famous international brands, such as, for instance, the creation of two full make-up lines for Oviesse, the Italian leading retailer of mid-market clothes, a subsidiary of the Coin group. The group also created the entire cosmetic range of Old Navy, a subsidiary of the Gap group, and, four collections of scented products for Alinéa and the development of a range of scented products for Target.
Another highlight, which perfectly suited with the motto “from branding to finished product” that is claimed by Maesa, the launch of the first eau de parfum for the brand of high-end ready-to-wear clothes, Zadig & Voltaire. Or also, the creation of a perfume, 50 Cent, which is named after the famous US rap singer, and which was launched at Macy’s. Maesa, also created a perfume and its derived products for Kim Kardashian, as well as make-up palette for Lauren Luke, a make-up artist who is using the internet for selling its products along with makeup advices.
For the first time in Europe, Maesa’s team also created a whole range of specific primary packaging for Marionnaud’s Asiatic bath line, as well as Sephora’s coffrets and gift packs for Christmas 2009.
As far as the group activity for exclusive brands, let’s mention a perfume line for Kat Von D, in exclusivity at Sepfora in the US, and a makeup line for Bare Escentuals.
Eventually, regarding outsourcing, Maesa’s team have created the coffrets for Interpafums’ Quicksilver and ST Dupont brands, as well as a coffret for promotional scents for Estée Lauder.
Outsourcing on the rise
“Regarding the outlook for 2010 for the beauty sector, explains Julien Saada, it is good. In particular thanks to the new contracts we signed with speciality retailers, the confirmation of our rise on the packaging market in Europe in partnership with prestigeous brands, and the rationalisation of our customers portfolio. Our historic and strong positioning among retailer’s private labels remains an asset when consumption is boosted by governmental measures in a dull economic context. Furthermore, we are feeling the emergence of a new dimension regarding the contracts we are signing for developing the cosmetics range of international brands. There is clearly a growth in the choice for outsourcing among prestige beauty brands”.
