Ethnic cosmetics are hot, hot, hot! - Ethnic Merchandising

Ethnic cosmetics are hot, hot, hot!

Like the summer of 1991, the ethnic cosmetics category is suddenly hotter than hot.

It's so hot in some parts of the country that buyers say they're astonished and, to a certain extend, a little uncertain about how to take advantage of this sudden, unexpected opportunity.

The buyer for one major midwest regional chain described ethnic cosmetics today as "a unique situation. There's a lot of growth, and suddenly every manufacturer is getting into it. I don't know what to bring in or how to handle it," she says.

|Absolutely unbelievable'

Judy Wiencze Wray, senior cosmetics buyer for Revco, describes ethnic cosmetics as "absolutely unbelievable. It's off a small base, but it's one of our categories that is really, really up this year."

In Louisiana, K&B cosmetic buyer Donna McManus, says the strong growth in ethnic cosmetics has the chain looking for more space to add to the planogram in January.

Michigan's Nancy Stone, who buys cosmetics for A.L. Price, says that in her stores, ethnic cosmetics is definitely starting to grow, and Shades of You is doing very well.

In Oregon, Shari Ralston, cosmetic buyer for Pay Less Drug Stores, says she's seeing an "awful lot of movement" in Maybelline's new ethnic line Shades Of You. She believes the line may be reaching an even broader market than traditional ethnic cosmetics. "It's captured everybody's eye, and I think it's getting some of everybody's business - dark-skinned whites, Hispanics and possibly Asians as well."

Ralston is also testing Shades of You in 12 Hispanic market stores where she says it is doing very well.

Shades of You is doing "great" in Revco stores, Wray says, and doing so without seeming to cannibalize sales from its more established competitor, Posner. Posner's sales were well over plan for the summer months, she adds.

|Right place, right time'

Shades of You was "in the right place at the right time," she says. "It looks like the category needed just this - a major player like Maybelline to come in and get involved and really support what they were doing."

"Shades of You is doing well for us," adds McManus. "Posner and Zuri are good. For so long, there hasn't been a lot happening in ethnic cosmetics. Now all of a sudden, everyone's coming out with an ethnic cosmetic line, and finally we do have a lot more to offer consumers."

"There is a future for ethnic cosmetics, and it's one I want to go after," says Stone. "We've got a lot to offer customers now. We should be able to take the women buying Fashion Fair in department stores and get them to take a look at what we carry in our stores. There's a lot more variety now, and we have a good quality story to tell.

At Bill's Drug in Benicia, Calif., buyer Sharon Schrage reports that her growth in ethnic cosmetics has been both "steady and dramatic. In stores where we did a good job developing the category before it boomed, our growth is steady and good. In underdeveloped stores, it has been dramatic." She adds that Shades of You has been "blowing out the door."

Simply Satin has been growing steadily, even though it's in a poor location and only in one store. It has a higher price point than midpriced lines like Posner, Shades of You and Black Radiance, but Schrage says that may be contributing to its success in her stores.

Missing the boat?

"Not everybody wants to be a budget shopper. I think venders are missing the boat with some consumers when they price everything low in this category."

Schrage says she will be putting Simply Satin in more ethnic doors after Christmas. Shades of You is currently in about six Bill's doors.

She is also thinking of adding Black Radiance to her mix. "We do very well with Wet and Wild. I'd like to try Black Radiance too."

PHOTO : The biggest unfilled niche in the ethnic cosmetics market may be for more upscale lines that cater to black women.

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