MARKETING / PRODUCT SPECIAL ..........RAYMOND'S BEER SHAMPOO

RAYMOND'S BEER SHAMPOO

Beauty Lies in the Hair of the Beer Holder

To be priced on a par with HUL’s Clear and P&G’s Head & Shoulders

What has beer got to do with men’s grooming? If you thought it does wonders to your head, then Raymond says it can work wonders on your hair as well.
The men’s apparel and grooming major is rolling out beer shampoo under its Park Avenue brand, hoping to shake up the . 3,000-crore male grooming market.
“The beer shampoo is India's only such product made within the country,” said Anil Kulkarni, business director at Raymond’s FMCG arm JK Helene Curtis.
“The product is targeted at the stylish young Indians, who want to groom themselves with innovative products,” he said.
Beer shampoo hit the headlines three years ago when Hollywood actress Catherine Zeta Jones said beer was among her top home grown beauty secrets for her hair.
Beer has two basic ingredients—malt and hops—that are loaded with protein, which can nourish and strengthen hair.
Kulkarni said Raymond plans to put the product in retail stores over the next few weeks.
It will be priced at par with shampoo brands such as HUL's Clear and P&G's Head & Shoulders that are targeted at men.
Officials said the company did experiment with beer shampoo many years ago at a very small level, but this is the first time such a product will be mass marketed in the country.
And the market is excited.
“This could well be the Axe of shampoos,” Devendra Chawla, president at Food Bazaar, the foods and FMCG arm of top retailer Future Group, said.
“The urban male’s desire to be well-groomed is fuelling the men’s grooming category,” he said. “With so many brands already jostling for space, the key would be to create a niche by launching differentiated products with unique packaging. Park Avenue seems to be making that attempt.”
The male personal grooming is a . 3,000-crore market, but has moved far beyond vanilla products like deodorants, shaving products and moisturisers, to include anti-wrinkle creams and body washes, to under-eye gel and botox treatments.
According to global market research firm RNCOS, the male cosmetics market in India will grow at an annual rate of 20% during 2010 to 2014 as men splurge on looking good. “While fairness creams is the sort of torch bearer of the male grooming market, it is followed by deodorants. Now the entire market is evolving to differentiated products catering to specific requirements,” Ankur Bisen, VP, retail, at retail consultancy Technopak Advisors, said. The 25-year-old brand Park Avenue’s existing male grooming range includes deodorants, soap, face washes, shaving gels, after shave lotions and hair creams. It is the first time the brand is being extended to shampoo.
The domestic shampoo market is estimated at close to . 3,000 crore. But rural consumption of shampoo is still only 20% of overall category sales, leaving huge potential for growth.
JK Helene Curtis has Park Avenue’s grooming business, Raymond fragrances and room fresheners under it.
Raymond also owns other apparel and accessories brands such as Park Avenue, Parx, Color Plus and Notting Hill. The listed Raymond Ltd, promoted by industrialist Gautam Singhania, has interests in textiles, consumer products, apparel, retail and engineering.

RATNA BHUSHAN ET121116