Bumble and bumble's president talks about the brand's move to boots
Published
10th Sep 2012
by rachael
In July Bumble and bumble president, Peter Lichtenthal confirmed rumours that his iconic cult brand would be available through selected Boots stores. He insisted it was all for the good of its network of salons, but how would the controversial move work?
HJ: Will Bumble and bumble be available through Boots stores?
PL: We are looking to establish premium haircare categories in selected branches of Boots. Bumble and bumble products will go into 30 branches in the first phase, which begins in October.
HJ: Will Bumble and bumble be sold alongside consumer haircare products?
PL: No. Bumble and bumble will be sold in special prestige areas within stores, and these areas will be staffed by trained specialists with product knowledge who will be vocal about encouraging people to our salon network. Also the installations themselves will promote the network of salons, with imagery featuring professional stylists.
HJ: Will the salon network be promoted in any other way in-store?
PL: Yes, we are creating a programme of in-store events to promote our salon network - this is a strategy that has worked in the US where we launched into 200 Sephora stores. US salons are trained to go into outlets with stylists to recreate a salon in-store.
HJ: Do you really think salons will benefit from this development?
PL: A big issue for salons is getting people through the door, with clients leaving longer between appointments. We need to help them drive consumers into their salons. Our research showed that premium shoppers do use Boots. It would be easy to be defensive about where our products are sold from, but instead we are going to openly use Boots to bring consumers back.
HJ: It's quite a radical move isn't it?
PL: In other industries barriers that have been traditionally there are coming down in order for them to keep up to date. We want to be on the side of change, while preserving the core strength of our brand, which is our professional salon network.
HJ: What would you say to your salon network to reassure them?
PL: We remain committed to being in the top 1-2% of salons in the UK. But because of this, there is a large proportion of the population that doesn't have access to our products. We needed to make products more accessible, but use the new platform to drive demand back to the salon.
HJ: Will Bumble and bumble also be available on the Boots retail website?
PL: Yes, we will be available on Boots.com and it will also feature a salon locator, giving 2.5 million consumers access to details of our salon network. We used the same approach with Sephora in the US and it worked. Some of our key salons in the US thought that Sephora would steal their business, but their businesses actually grew stronger.
HJ: Is this just the beginning of Bumble and bumble becoming a mass consumer brand?
PL: Absolutely not. We do not want to be a brand that is available everywhere. We see our future as a brand rooted in fashion and salons.
HJ: Will the RRP be the same in all channels?
PL: It will be the same in Boots as in salons.
HJ: How have your network salons reacted to the plans?
PL: They reacted with a degree of nervousness at first - until they heard the plan. Once people know all the details, the apprehension goes. Everything we do will always involve hairdressers. They are there from the beginning in the planning and development of all we do. We haven't always been as forthright in using that voice as we are going to be from now on.
HJ: Will there also be a focus on retail within salons?
PL: Yes, we want to train stylists to be better at giving advice to their clients, although we are sensitive to the fact that no-one should feel that the styling station is a commercial area. We have to help salon owners make stylists feel more comfortable explaining what they are using and why, and how they can use it at home.
Nothing can compete with the salon experience.
