Woman “The Chinese market accounts for more than 30% of the sales of the cosmetic company”, says the CCO of Natura Bissé

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Coinciding with its 10th anniversary, Círculo Fortuny, the main Spanish association of brands and companies in the high-end sector, has launched the audiovisual series The Voices of Excellence, a set of videos in masterclass format, given by CEOs and senior directors of some of the leading Spanish companies in this sector.

Círculo Fortuny has launched this initiative so that brands of the stature of IESE, Natura Bissé, Osborne or TOUS, some of the main ambassadors of Spanish excellence inside and outside our borders, can share their experiences and success stories.

“It is about offering a testimony that helps other companies build their brand and, together, give visibility to Spain as a benchmark of quality and excellence,” says Juan Albanell, CCO and director at Natura Bissé Group.

And he adds that “in the case of Natura Bissé, we show the key aspects of our success in the high-end Chinese market, which we entered in 2012, and whose sales today represent more than 30% of the company's total. We want to share our experience to encourage and help those companies that want to start doing business in that country.”

Juan Albanell, CCO of Natura Bissé.

long-term growth

The company had no little difficulty entering a complex market. “Entering a new country is always difficult, but in China it is even more so. There are 1,400 million inhabitants, with a different culture, another way of doing business and a very different regulation from the European or the Anglo-Saxon. In the Chinese market it can be easy to enter, that is, sell something for 2 or 3 years and then disappear from the market. Our goal in the Chinese market was long-term growth, building a strong and permanent business and brand presence. And in these almost 10 years we have achieved it”, confirms Albanell.

Natura Bissé Masterclass at Círculo Fortuny

Cosmetics began its process of internationalization in the East, just at the time when Europe was experiencing a recession in its economy.

“At a time of economic crisis in the West, China was monopolizing global growth in beauty. Natura Bissé's objective was and still is today, to be a brand, a global benchmark, therefore, we had to be in the Chinese market. We needed to define our entry strategy and find the right distributor or partner. It was not so important when, but trying to do the best possible, ”says the manager.

Spa channel experts

In a market as competitive as China's, and where skin care and beauty is closely related to social status, Natura Bissé carried out a groundbreaking strategy to position itself among the main beauty firms in the Asian market.

“We focus first on the spa channel, where we are more expert and where our brand is recognized globally, with an excellent local partner or distributor, which has helped us to be present in the best spas in the country. The next step, already in 2018, was to develop our online presence, also hand in hand with another local distributor specialized in the channel”.

“2020 was a key year, we set up our subsidiary and local team in Shanghai and started investing in digital media and social networks. We hired our first local brand ambassador and work with numerous social influencers. Lately, in 2021 we have taken a new step, with the launch in some of the main local offline retailers. But always 100% faithful to our brand, and to its global positioning as a selective brand”, he concludes.

The international expansion of the company continues today unstoppable. “Our second market, very close to China, is the US, followed by the Spanish market. Then Europe, the United Kingdom, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Middle East and the rest of Asia. In 2021 we have already recovered the pre-pandemic business volume, and in 2022 we want to print a high rate of growth”, he concludes.

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