Haircare is accelerating strongly in travel retail and Wella Company sees considerable headroom ahead. That is the message from Wella Company Head of Global Travel Retail & Visual Merchandising Luis Blanco Álvarez in this video interview with The Moodie Davitt Report Brands Director Hannah Tan.
Blanco Álvarez is excited about the company’s growth prospects in travel retail by Wella Professionals and premium nail brand O.P.I. “We’re relatively new to the channel, but we’re very ambitious,” he says. “The growth we’ve experienced in recent years keeps us optimistic about the future.”
Haircare has been outperforming the wider perfumes & cosmetics category, according to Blanco Álvarez, as consumers upgrade their routines with high-performing treatments and move from mass-market products into premium offerings.
That momentum is translating into strong travel retail results for Wella Company, with the company recording triple-digit growth with some retail partners.
“Consumers are upgrading their routines with high-performing treatments, as well as moving from mass into premium products,” he explains. “We’re excited about the growth this is driving in travel retail.”
Product innovation, travel retail exclusives (TREXs) and experiential retail are central to Wella Company’s growth strategy.
The latter is illustrated by Wella Professionals’ ongoing partnership with F1 Academy, which connects the brand with women’s sport while creating opportunities to engage travellers in-store.
“We’re operating in an attention economy, where younger travellers in particular have higher expectations of stores and experiential retail,” Blanco Álvarez says. “This partnership gives us an opportunity to capture their attention, keep them in-store longer and drive conversion.”
Wella Company has already brought the partnership to life through an activation with Avolta in Madrid Airport Terminal 4, with a wider roll-out planned.
Alongside haircare, Wella Company seeks to develop the nail category in travel retail through O.P.I. The brand, which has 45 years of history, is often the only dedicated nail brand in the airport environment, Blanco Álvarez notes.
“More than two-thirds of consumers buy on impulse in this category, and that is helping drive O.P.I.’s growth in the channel,” he comments.
Offering an optimistic message to the channel, Blanco Álvarez says he is focused on working with retailers to develop Wella Company’s presence through relevant activations, curated assortments, innovative products and TREXs.
“We want to continue being a partner that delivers culturally relevant activations and helps drive category growth beyond our own brands,” he concludes. ✈
