Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) is expected to enter the niche haircare market with an acquired global brand — Salon Selectives. It would now be competing against the likes of salon brands such as L’Oreal and Schwarzkopf. GCPL had roped in an ex L’Oreal marketing veteran, Ms Sunita Bangard, as the new category head for hair colour.
“As there is rapid retail expansion in the country, we may very soon do a salon brand. We are exploring the possibility of bringing in the Salon Selective brand which became part of the Keyline portfolio last quarter,” A. Mahendran, MD, GCPL. GCPL would be targeting professional salons to introduce the brand at the mass end of the market. In fact, recently, the hair styling category for the company has no brand presence with the exit of the Brylcreem brand which belonged to Sara Lee.
Salon Selectives is a line of haircare products, ranging from shampoos and hair conditioners to mousses, sprays, gels, and oils. Salon Selectives was the first salon-inspired mass market haircare brand introduced by Helene Curtis in 1987. It was acquired by Unilever in 1996 and was revamped in 2000 with all-new products bearing catchy names (like Perfectly Normal shampoo and Hold Tight Hair spray). In 2011, the line was re-launched again with 32 oz bottles designed to give consumers salon grade products at everyday value pricing. The brand recently became a part of Keyline Brands, the Godrej Group’s first acquisition in 2005.
Source: www.thehindubusinessline.com
