US supermarket chain outsources ethnic beauty care
source its ethnic health and beauty care requirements, a reflection
of the growing importance of this category.
Under the agreement, TWT Distributing, a minority-owned distributor of ethnic toiletries, will be responsible for sourcing, procuring and merchandising ethnic health and beauty care products for 12 divisions of Kroger.
TWT Distributing, which is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and runs over 2,500 supermarkets in 32 states, says it plans to conduct demographic and purchasing research and draw upon its industry experience to create and implement a programme which will ensure that Kroger's ethnic customers will be able to select from a wide variety of ethnic health and beauty care products.
"Our priority will be to serve Kroger's ethnic customers," commented Tom Tyree, president and CEO of TWT Distributing. "We plan to rely on our long-term and trusted partnerships with the ethnic manufacturers in order to bring maximum value to Kroger customers."
TWT Distributing, which is one of the leading suppliers of cosmetics and health products designed for African Americans and Hispanics, will be responsible for developing consumer-driven marketing and promotional programs aimed at attracting new customers to Kroger stores. The products that it will be supplying to Kroger will include leading facial care, hair care and cosmetic brands. Tyree added, "This agreement shows the continuing high level of commitment Kroger has to ethnic customers."
"We believe that TWT's experience in this category will enable Kroger to expand our product offering and better meet the needs of our increasingly diverse customer base," said Denise Thomas, supplier diversity coordinator for Kroger.
In both the US and Europe, the cosmetics and personal care industry has seen a huge boom in the sale of products catering specially for ethnic needs. Only last week CosmeticsDesign.com reported about the rise of cosmetic lines that cater to the individual make-up requirements of women with darker complexion.
In recent months cosmetics Calfornian-based Real Design, Victoria's Secrets and Bonita Cosmetics have all launched make-up lines catering to women with darker complexions. Such launches are catering to rising ethnic populations. In the US alone, the Hispanic community is particular is forecast to account for 30 per cent of the population by 2050 - a figure that Miami-based marketing company Synovate Diversity believes will lead to a significant growth in demand for ethnic cosmetics and beauty products.
