Adding the right retail touch-up

Kryolan, one of the world’s first professional make-up brands, has been supplying makeup products to the film, theatre and television industries for over 70 years now.  Strong retail presence with a good supply chain network, efficient distribution and contemporary marketing strategies have all contributed to the success of the leading make-up brand.

 In an exclusive chat with Point Of Purchase magazine, Madhivanan Ramaswamy, Chief Executive Officer, Kryolan Cosmetics (India), shares the brand’s expansion plans for both the direct and franchise retail models

Could you tell us a bit about the share of B2B and B2C businesses for your brand?
Right now, it is more skewed towards B2B in the ratio of 70: 30. Going ahead we would like increase the focus on B2C.

What is the strength of your retail touchpoints in India?
We have our own outlets in Chennai (two outlets), Mumbai and Bangalore and then we have an outlet in Delhi which is run by our franchise partner. We have a third one coming soon in Chennai at Express Avenue Mall, another one in Delhi and a new one in Calcutta, franchised to our partner.

What about your SKUs? Do you have separate SKUs for the B2B and B2C markets?
We have around 16 thousand products and the SKUs are planned accordingly. No, we do not have separate SKUs for the B2B and B2C segments.

What kind of retail expansion are you looking at in the near future?
With new stores coming up in three cities, we are all poised for good retail presence. We believe in conventional growth and having brand visibility in all the major cities of India

Who are your partners for store design, POS and display fixtures?
Our supplier is Vitrum Concept from Poland, and the designer is from Berlin.

What kind of in-store activations/engagements do you focus on?
We conduct region-specific demo-classes, seminars, and workshops regularly for our customers. In such seminars, we enlighten the participants on the latest fashion and beauty trends across the globe. We also make sure to educate our customers on the latest makeup technologies like airbrush and on the right colours /skin tones to achieve the right results. We get international make-up artistes to teach the customers on the best ways to create a great look.

Having established a strong presence in the B2B market, what prompted you to enter the B2C segment and expand your consumer portfolio?
The wide range of products that we have in our portfolio has prompted us to reach out to all related segments such as beauty make-up, special effects, party make-up and more.

What learnings from your B2B business will you be implementing in your direct-to-consumer strategy?
Strong supply chain network, which has been developed over the years, efficient distribution, marketing strategies in line with new trends and professional training are some of the key factors that will continue to focus on.