Premium Beauty News - In a very difficult economic context for glassmakers, don’t you feel some kind of tremor? What is the situation exactly?

Xavier Adnet - We are far from the resurgence in trade, and we don’t feel any tremor, our customers and the retailers are still looking for ways to reduce their stocks. The recession is particularly strong in the perfume sector, while the cosmetic sector remains flat. What is really worrying is that we do not see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, I am sure that our customers are aware that it will be difficult for us to react as quickly when orders start flowing in again. We will have to make choices.

Premium Beauty News – What are your company’s main assets?

Xavier Adnet - To be acknowledged in terms of service and quality. Of course this has nothing to do with the present situation, it is a long-winded task.

Premium Beauty News - In the range of products that you manufacture for the beauty sector, are some products more on the roll than others and why?

Xavier Adnet - “On the roll” is probably excessive. Let’s say that the cosmetics segment is relatively less impacted, and is only decreasing slightly, while the perfumery segment is decreasing strongly, except for the mass market. We are selling more small containers than we were used. Retailers are boosting small sizes rather than reducing the price of a big item, there is resurgence of the “good money value”

Premium Beauty News - Perfume and cosmetic brands, seem to have fully understood the full service concept.

Xavier Adnet - Nowadays, customers think ahead, they are looking for what you could call the turn key. That allows them to make economics of scales and concentrate on the working capital. We are doing our best to meet such requirement.

Premium Beauty News - Environmental issues are also a concern. How do you address this issue in terms of products?

Xavier Adnet - But in the United States this topic is put aside in favour of price issues. When economy is booming the American customer has no difficulty in spending a bit more to purchase a home-made product and help reduce the carbon footprint. But today the only thing that makes the difference is green, not in the sense of green/environment but in the sense green/Dollar.