Developing business internationally is one of Michael J Bluth?s favourite games. And what he, admittedly, loves about the game are its challenges, obstacles and also the goals that are to be met. He patiently identifies and tackles each one of them.
As the managing director, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, Del Laboratories, Uniondale, New York, Bluth has handled several assignments in his career spanning over three decades. Right from developing successful international marketing strategies, identifying and managing committed licensees and distributors, building significant new business with key strategic partners, pursuing aggressive sales and improving profits, Bluth has also tapped and developed new markets in Turkey, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Israel, India, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Korea over a span of half a decade. As the managing director, he also steered Oshkosh B?Gosh past the Asian financial crisis.
Recently in India to launch the nail care brand Sally Hansen, Bluth seemed to have done his homework well. Would a premium brand like that work in India, particularly when it targets a segment as niche as the nails you question. ?Why not? The Indian economy is going strong. I see a marked shift in consumer attitude from saving to spending. The size of the population is also an encouraging factor. And moreover? India has an ancient tradition of using cosmetics. This is therefore, for us, a market with the propensity for beauty products,? he replies confidently.
?The segment may be niche, but we have a vast portfolio to offer. We have a solution for almost? well almost, all your nail dilemmas,? he further adds. One can have little doubt about that, considering that the portfolio of this US-based brand includes more than the basic nail essentials available in the domestic market ? nail nutrition, strengtheners, hardeners, anti-fungal products, growth boosters, cuticle massage cream, besides other personal care products.
The brand enjoys a majority stake in the nail care market in the US and looks forward to replicating the story on Indian terrain as well. There are plans to open close to 300 express nail bars in the country at an investment of Rs 25 crore in the next two years to capture the unexplored segment. Plans are underway to open some of these at departmental stores of Pantaloon and Reliance. The brand has followed a similar strategy in the US and the UK. In the US, Walmart, K Mart, Stop & Shop are some of its addresses.
Fluent in Chinese Mandarin, Japanese, Thai and Malay languages, Bluth is fascinated with more than just the rich culture of India. ?The retail industry in India is dynamic. The revolution has just begun and this therefore shall be our key distribution channel,? he states, adding, ?though a large part of it is occupied by traditional retail, over time it will have to change. I completely understand that the transformation would be painful for some, but fortunately or unfortunately that is the only way ahead.?
Del Laboratories has tied up with Brushman India Ltd, a listed Rs 115 crore company, to market the brand in India. The latter targets the Rs 300 crore nail care market in India to reap at least Rs 50 crore in the next five years.
