With business in beauty salons and spas perking up again after troubled times, sales in Asia representing a real powerhouse, strong growth in France, its home market, and a highly developed international network, Sothys can face the future with some optimism. On the agenda of the 2012 year: The launch in September of a BB cream, the complete redesigning and relaunch of the men’s range, and some productive investments in the make-up segment.

Jérôme Froment-Meurice (left), Christian Mas (right)

Founded in 1946, the French brand really took off after it was acquired in the late ’60s by the Mas family, who still is its sole shareholder. Today, Sothys represents 80% of the group’s consolidated sales, which neared 60 million euros in 2011. The brand is present in 120 countries through a network of agents and a dozen subsidiaries. This international deployment is also one of its main assets. Not only because it offers the possibility of a better resistance to economic vicissitudes, but also because it conveys the image and values of a brand who prefers to invest in lasting relationships with its customers, and remain adamant about its development strategy in beauty salons and spas. "There is no country where we consider using retail networks to gain in notoriety and grow faster. Our goal is to invest in the long term, by strengthening our partnerships with salons and spas," explains Christian Mas, the CEO of Sothys. "The brand is strong because it shares values which are consistent with those of its distributors and professionals who trust her," he added.

But because visibility remains a crucial issue in an extremely competitive market, to further increase its brand awareness, the brand taps in channels more in line with its positioning, such as this partnership for the year 2012, with Singapore Airlines, who offers Sothys creams to its first-class passengers.

Strong principles that do not stop the brand from broadening its global network, on the contrary. Among recent openings: Macedonia and the Honduras. But the main development priorities are in Northern Europe, Turkey, Asia as always, and of course Russia, where there is a strong potential. Bearing in mind that a market as huge as Brazil still needs to be addressed. "We were present in this country until 2006 and we are currently looking for a new partner," explains Jérôme Froment-Meurice, Export Manager.

In any case, this firmness seems to be paying off. Sothys somewhat better withstood the 2008 crisis than some of its competitors. Maybe also because it was, again, an opportunity to put its values to the test. "We didn’t change the R&D resources, or our workforce during that period," explains Mas. "We started from a premise that with a development time for new products ranging from 12 to 24 months, such a strategy would allow us to be in battle order for when the market recovered" And today, the brand can claim being one step ahead of its competitors. In September, the company should be the first to launch a BB cream exclusively intended for beauty salons. "This is a segment of its own in which we have the opportunity to develop our expertise and provide a true originality."

Also new in 2012, the complete redesigning of the men’s range. Formulas and concepts were revisited and the number of references will increase from four to seven A consistent Investment with the brand’s desire to increase its sales in spas, where men’s products can represent up to 50% of sales, while this turnover remains marginal in salons, where it peaks at 3%. "The spa is still very consistent with an ongoing dynamics, particularly in the United States and Canada, details Mas, it is a key axis of our development."