As revealed in June, Mäurer & Wirtz will introduce a new masculine fragrance, called Baldessarini Ultimate, this September. The scent signifies a new chapter for the house as it looks to bolster its international presence, and will be the biggest launch from the brand since Mäurer & Wirtz acquired the license from Procter & Gamble in 2012.
Baldessarini Ultimate will begin its global roll-out from SeptemberBaldessarini Ultimate was unveiled last month in Amsterdam, at the company’s Gentle Men’s Day. The event also incorporated the introduction of a new Gentle Men’s Care collection of fragrance and grooming items from Tabac.
The Baldessarini Ultimate fragrance is described as modern and dynamic, in line with the objective of attracting new consumers to the Baldessarini brand. The concept centres around superlatives and winning: experiencing ultimate moments in time and setting new benchmarks.
Composed by independent perfumer Geza Schön, the juice opens on notes of Peruvian pepper, mandarin orange and bergamot, building to a heart of freesia, magnolia and jasmine. The base blends labdanum, frankincense, amber and patchouli – a key olfactory “stamp” throughout the entire Baldessarini portfolio.
Jan Marcel Katuin: “Internationalisation is one of our key objectives for the company”The heavy flacon features design elements that aim to evoke a men’s chronograph – which dovetails with the theme of time and life’s ultimate moments. It is presented in a warm, woven-leather box with metallic silver accents.
In line with the aim of attracting new consumers, a new, younger face will feature in the ad campaign, replacing the brand stalwart Charles Schumann.
The full Baldessarini line-up includes 50ml and 90ml edts, a 90ml after shave lotion, a 200ml shower gel and a 75ml deo stick. The 90ml edt will retail domestically at around €70.
The Tabac Gentle Men’s Care collection comprises nine products and aims to fill a gap in the market for a line that combines a fragrance with complementary grooming products. Its presence in travel retail is likely to be limited, given its positioning (price points range from around €7 for the shaving gel to €28 for the 90ml edt), but details are still being finalised. The domestic roll-out will begin in August.
The line includes products that cover all aspects of a man’s daily body and skincare routine, including cleansing, shaving and fragrance. The complete line-up comprises 40ml and 90ml edts, a 150ml deo spray, a 200ml Nurturing Shower Gel, a 200ml Shaving Gel, a 75ml After Shave Balm, a 90ml After Shave Lotion, a 50ml Moisturising Cream and a 50ml Moisturising Gel. The packaging features copper-coloured accents.
The ancillary products incorporate a subtle version of the edt fragrance, which is described as “invigorating with nurturing nuances”. Top notes of orange and pear give way to a heart of lavender, cardamom and violet leaves, atop a base of sandalwood, ambergris and cashmere.
Tabac Gentle Men’s Care will be supported by a comprehensive communications campaign that includes print and TV, both of which convey in a tongue-in-cheek way how irresistible well groomed men can be.
International impetus
Travel retail will be an important focus for Baldessarini Ultimate, with Russian-oriented doors, Eastern Europe, the UK and Germany among the key target markets. The juice is also expected to appeal to Middle Eastern and South American consumers. Gebr Heinemann will carry the fragrance in the majority of its stores from launch; other listings are still being finalised. The brand is handled in travel retail by airport retail business accelerator AirCommerce, led by Managing Director Melvin Broekaart.
Mäurer & Wirtz Brand Manager Stephan Kemen and Baldessarini Ultimate nose Geza Schön discuss the new fragrance at the company’s Gentle Men’s Day in Amsterdam last month “Internationalisation is one of our key objectives for the company,” underlines Director International Sales Jan Marcel Katuin. “We began this new strategy around one year ago, when we decided not to focus solely on Germany, but to [explore] other main European markets too.”
He continues: “Beyond Europe, Russia is a very big market for Baldessarini. The Middle East region is also important.”
Mäurer & Wirtz has no travel retail doors in Asia to date – but Katuin is hopeful of a breakthrough soon, most likely in South Korea.
“That’s an important market for us domestically, and 4711 in particular performs well there, where it is considered to be more high-end than elsewhere, and almost a cult product,” he explains.
Katuin told The Moodie Report last year that establishing a bigger footprint in travel retail would be a key element of its new internationalisation and growth strategy. What are the plans for Baldessarini Ultimate in the channel?
The ad campaign for Tabac Gentle Men’s Care aims to convey how irresistible well groomed men can be“We think this new fragrance is a unique opportunity to extend the position in travel retail,” he replies. “We have had some interesting listings for Baldessarini in the past few months – including our first listing at Düsseldorf Airport [with World Duty Free Group]. And the sell-out results prove that it deserves its place in duty free shops, because it can definitely compete with other prestige brands.”
Katuin continues: “So Ultimate will be introduced in all our duty free locations. At the same time we will fine-tune the assortment, and take out some of the other lines, to make sure that we are focusing on Baldessarini’s core products – and have enough of a spotlight on Ultimate.”
Outside of Germany, Mäurer & Wirtz is poised to make its duty free debut in Russia, in partnership with Gebr Heinemann. “We will have 11 doors for Baldessarini,” confirms Katuin. “In Russia it’s a very famous brand, with top 20-30 sell-out rankings, so we need to be in travel retail too. It will happen in Q3 or Q4 this year.”
Elsewhere the new Düsseldorf entry – which took two years to negotiate and began in April – is clearly a breakthrough listing for the brand, and a good benchmark of what Baldessarini can achieve in the channel, given the right opportunity.
“‘When is a product successful?’ is always the big question,” notes Katuin. “How many pieces per door per week do you have to sell? Interestingly, at Düsseldorf, where we have three locations for Baldessarini, we have seen that the bigger sizes are successful (90ml versus 50ml), despite the higher price-point.
“We have also introduced a limited 4711 collection at Düsseldorf. It’s performing well, and we are already seeing good sell-out ratios, which are comparable with the numbers at Cologne Airport, where last year we have opened our 4711 shop-in-shop in partnership with Gebr Heinemann.”
It’s a flagship opening, on which Katuin is keen to build. “What we have learned is that travel retail deserves a different approach,” he acknowledges. “In the past Mäurer & Wirtz…didn’t differentiate enough.
“Today travel retail is still a very small part of our business, but we have created a number of initiatives – on Baldessarini, 4711 and Tabac – as part of a special duty free approach that includes exclusive concepts, exclusive packaging, exclusive sets and an exclusive marketing approach, in order to focus better on the channel.”
Katuin adds: “You need to offer an advantage for duty free: price or content or add-on. We are still working on this process. There will be more news about special products and concepts unveiled at Cannes in October, and those developments will be implemented in early 2016.”
The Tabac Gentle Men’s Care collection comprises nine products and aims to fill a gap in the market for a line that combines a fragrance with complementary grooming productsIn terms of brands, Baldessarini will remain the number one priority for Mäurer & Wirtz in travel retail, followed by 4711 and then Tabac.
“Tabac is an amazing brand, 55 years old with a lot of heritage and competence, which is down to us to demonstrate,” noted Katuin. “It has a good story to tell, and we need to communicate that to buyers. Grooming is a strong trend and we should be part of it.
“But we also realise that this new collection, Tabac Gentle Men’s Care, would face a lot of competition in travel retail, from both mid- and prestige brands. So we are not positioning ourselves as a personal care brand; rather we are offering a fragrance accompanied by a limited range of personal care products.”
