Viktor & Rolf to launch niche fragrance collection, Parramatta on track to be mega retail hub, yoga tapped as Australia's fastest growing fitness activity, and perfume and cosmetics category the top performer for LVMH.
Viktor & Rolf to launch niche fragrance collection
On Thursday night, Australia's fashion and beauty elite will attend the opening of Viktor & Rolf: Fashion Artists, at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. A world-first exhibition of the Dutch duo's witty, thought-provoking fashions of the past 25 years. In a major feature in W Magazine last week, the designers were asked - Why Australia? Back came the answer: "Well, our perfume happens to be doing really well in Australia."
There were other reasons, of course, principally that the NGV had asked Thierry-Maxime Loriot, the curator of the hugely successful Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition, if he could come up with a blockbuster repeat with another international designer. But the fact that Viktor & Rolf's global best-selling fragrance - Flowerbomb - is the number five best-selling prestige perfume in Australia strongly influenced their decision.
Fragrance is top of mind for Viktor & Rolf at the moment. Last week, they unveiled a new luxury niche fragrance collection at the Upper East Side Academy in New York. Guests included actress Taraji P. Henson, SNL comic Sasheer Zamata, and Sean O'Pry, the face of V&R's men's fragrance, Spicebomb.
Called Magic!, the collection comprises six scents described as "an unexpected twist on niche fragrances, each one a paradoxical fusion of natural ingredients and innovative accords". Names to note are: Dirty Trick, Liquid Diamonds, Sage Spell, Sparkling Secret, Dancing Roses and Lavender Illusion. The initial debut in February will be very select, exclusively available at Saks Fifth Avenue stores and the department store's website.
Parramatta on track to be mega retail hub
All eyes are focused on Barangaroo as Sydney's newest tourist and retail hub. But over the next five years, Parramatta will enjoy explosive growth as the Harbour City's second CBD. More than $10 billion worth of infrastructure, commercial and residential investment is expected to boost Parramatta's economy to $30 billion, reports PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The area's workforce will balloon from its current 29,000 to 186,000 by 2021, with close to 75 per cent of job creation coming from the financial services, health and government sectors, says the professional services firm. Commercial floor space will spike by over one third. An increase which will produce additional expenditure of $1.2 million EVERY day from workers, residents and visitors.
According to Greg Dyer, City of Parramatta interim general manager: "Over the next five years, our CBD will grow to be one third larger than it is today and the retail sector is expected to reap the benefits of this growth, with an additional $3 billion in turnover estimated during that period."
Yoga tapped as Australia's fastest growing fitness activity
Adopting the lotus or downward dog positions has become mainstream, says Roy Morgan. Back in 2008, aerobics was more popular, says the researcher, but the number of Australians grabbing a mat has doubled over the past eight years to two million. More Australians - 1 in 10 - now do yoga than play soccer, cricket, tennis or golf, says Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan Research, and it's become the nation's fastest-growing sport or fitness activity.
Yoga is very much a female pursuit. In terms of numbers, women aged 14 to 34 - one in five - are the most enthusiastic participants. But in terms of proportional growth, taking up yoga has spiked 17 per cent among women aged 35 to 49 and 9 per cent among those aged 50-plus. Millennial men aged 25 to 34 are also taking more deep breaths, says Roy Morgan. A hefty one in 10 men in this age group enjoys yoga regularly or occasionally.
Unsurprisingly, yoga fans are more likely to make healthier lifestyle choices than the average Australian. "Yoga participants are consistently more likely to be vegetarian, to buy organic, additive-free and genetically unmodified foods, to prefer healthy snacks, and to favour natural medicines and health products," adds Levine.
Pilates has also become more popular than aerobics, says Roy Morgan, with around 1.25 million Australians using the system to improve core strength and postural alignment.
Perfume and cosmetics category the top performer for LVMH
The world's largest luxury goods group has reported a 4 per cent surge in revenues for the first nine months of the year to 26.3 billion euros (AUD$37.87 billion). The perfume and cosmetics category was the best-performing sector, with sales jumping 6 per cent to 3.57 billion euros (AUD$5.14 billion). The bullet performer was Christian Dior which gained market share in nearly every country of operation.
New launches from , Makeup For Ever, Kat Von D and also upped the bottom line. Guerlain's La Petite Robe Noire cosmetics range of lipsticks and nail polishes notably "exceeded expectations".
Sephora continued to deliver double-digit growth. The world's largest beauty chain gained market share in all markets, including Australia, with sales up 5 per cent to 8.28 billion euros (AUD$11.92 billion). Online sales also grew spectacularly in all regions.
Snippets from the wires
- There's a wipe for almost every personal care job. Rekze Laboratories, based in the US and the UK, have pushed the envelope further with the launch of the world's first hair re-growth scalp wipe. Designed to be used with the company's hair-stimulating shampoo, conditioner and serum, each wipe cotains 28 ingredients to help counteract thinning hair and help hair re-growth.
- Walgreens Boots Alliance aleady enjoy $US200 million worth of sales of two major Boots brands - No 7 and Soap & Glory - in the US. The multinational plans to double revenues by rolling out the dynamic duo in 1800 more stores across the US before Christmas.
- Innovative, standout packaging is a must in the cosmetic industry and is a key factor in increasing sales. Acording to Transparency Market Research, the global cosmetic packaging market valued at $US23 billion in 2015 will soar to $US33 billion by 2024.
- Korean cosmetics giant LG H&H, is taking aim at the fast-growing US haircare market. The multinational has announced a joint venture with Farouk Systems, who manufacture the CHI and BioSilk brands. LG's premium haircare and cosmetics products will have access to Farouk's huge distribution network of 200,000 hair salons and beauty speciality stores in the US.
- Youth is fleeting. Marketers are increasingly turning their attention to Gen Z - born between 1995 and 2012. In Australia, the demographic encompasses 4.6 million young Australians, who will surpass the income of Baby Boomers over the next four years.
- Pinterest has announced it has reached the magic figure of 150 million monthly users - more than 50 per cent outside the US. Seventy five percent of new sign-ups are international, and 40 per cent of new "pinners" are male. With a potential IPO on the cards, Pinterest is spruiking its commerce and advertising strengths. More than 10 million products are now buyable on the platform, sold by 25,000 retailers.
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