After 10 years at David Jones as the senior buyer, George Bingham surprised the beauty industry last year when he announced he was leaving the company to explore other opportunities. With two philosophies when it came to work: to learn something every day and have fun, Bingham realised he wasn’t learning anything anymore and I was not having the same fun as I used to have, so for me personally it was time to move on and do something different.” After being offered a range of job opportunities, Bingham was excited to take on the position of director of retail accounts at . We sat down with the beauty industry expert to find out why he chose Kora, what it’s like working with Miranda Kerr, and his plans for the brand.
What was your role at David Jones?
I was the senior beauty buyer at David Jones. I used to describe my area as the incubator of beauty. Part of my role was to go out and find new brands and then help work and partner with them to grow in this market place. Over many years, I’ve helped multiple brands go from nothing to big brands.
Was Kora one of these brands that you developed?
Yes. I met with Miranda and helped her before the brand was ever launched in this marketplace. I worked with her and her team to launch the brand and nurture it at David Jones to be a top five brand in the area of body and soul.
Why did you choose to leave David Jones?
I’d been a buyer for over 25 years, and just wanted to do something different. I took this opportunity at Kora as I’d been involved with it from the start and I thought that with all of my skills and background, I could help them take the brand to the next level.
What does your role at Kora involve?
I’m overseeing the Australian operations, which is looking after retail and the online business which we ship worldwide. I oversee every aspect of the company, not just working with retail partners and developing retail strategies.
Do you feel it’s more rewarding to look after one brand rather than a host of brands?
I do. I’ve gone from my portfolio at David Jones, which was probably managing about 70 brands, to one. Because I was involved in helping Miranda launch the brand, there is this sense of pride about here I am and I can help the brand now get to the next level from the inside”. Whereas before, at the end of the day, you’re still an outsider - David Jones never owned the brand. While it’s Miranda’s business, I feel very much a part of it and I love that I’m actually inside it and can make decisions and help work with the team to take it to the next level.
Kora has experienced high growth since launching five years ago. Can you tell me a bit about this growth?
The growth has been in the high double digits - we’re talking between 40 and 50 per cent growth season-upon-season for the last five years. I can probably only count on one hand in my career where brands have grown so quickly in such a short period of time. Most brands, especially a skincare brand, take some years before it really gets established because you’re trying to change people’s behaviour from what they’re using beforehand. To get those growth numbers year-on-year in the short period of time that the brand has been around is absolutely outstanding.
Does this growth include sales from overseas retailers?
It’s grown so much in this market that we’ve actually had to say no” to a lot of international retailers who want the brand. Because it’s a certified organic brand, the raw ingredients have to all be checked to make sure they comply with the Ecocert certification. For us, it’s not that easy to get those ingredients all of the time, so we’re struggling just to fulfill our Australian operations as well as the American and online business. We would be letting a retailer down internationally if we tried to launch into a market when we’re not ready. Global expansion is part of our strategy - but just not now as we’ve got to keep up with the local demand for product.
Do you think that part of the brand’s success is due to Miranda’s popularity?
While Miranda, as the face and owner of the brand, has helped to get the brand established, I think that people have also realised that this is a really good quality product with amazing ingredients that actually help people with their skin.
How involved is Miranda?
Miranda is actively involved in the development of the brand, it’s not just her face or name on the product. She is involved in the brand in terms of the development of new product, the choice and colour of the packaging, and she has ideas about formulation ingredients. It is different from any other brands that I have worked with where there has been a celebrity face. The brand is part of Miranda’s lifestyle, and she is very actively involved. We have a lot of new product development happening over the next twelve months, and Miranda gets sent the lab samples to try and give her feedback.
What made the Kora brand stand out to you as a buyer back when you were at David Jones?
I actually introduced the natural organic category into David Jones 10 years ago - it really didn’t exist outside of health food stores. One of the things that I had noticed in other markets internationally was that the natural organic category had started to infiltrate into the mainstream area of retail. In Australia, it hadn’t really gotten to that point - there were a few brands around but they were intended to be more in the health food sector. I embarked on bringing that category to David Jones, so I went out looking for brands. One thing that stood out about Kora was that it was one of the first Australian brands to really focus on the certified organic ingredients. There are lots of brands out there that have organic, natural ingredients, but Miranda wanted it to be a true certified organic brand. I knew it would stand out from the crowd. To go through that Ecocert process of certification is a huge task because they are very strict on everything. She persevered with it and came up with this amazing brand in which all the products were certified. As a buyer, you are always looking for a gap in the market or an edgy opportunity, and Kora ticked a lot of boxes.
What developments have you made or are planning to make to the brand offering?
I have started work on getting the new product development that has been sitting around in our sample cupboards well underway so we can start to launch some new products in the second half of the year and in 2015. 2015 will be a really big year for Kora because there are lots of things happening that are in motion.
Do you feel that at Kora, you have found the right place for you?
I do! I have caught up with people and friends that I know at David Jones that I keep in touch with and they say we can’t believe how happy you look”. I am so motivated to get in there and really roll my sleeves up and help. It has been very rewarding to see some of the things I have been able to implement with the team, so I am really excited about being part of Kora and taking it to its next stage of life.