easyGroup targets 'no-nonsense man'
Easy brand, has turned his hand to men's cosmetics with the launch
of a nine product range for the UK market. The launch aims to
muscle in on the growing male grooming sector by providing a
no-nonsense range of competitively priced products, reports
Simon Pitman.
Haji-Ioannou first made his mark with his Swiss-registered easyJet airline back in 1998. The privately-owned company has expanded rapidly and now has no less than 15 different divisions involved in business activities as widespread as Cinema, Hotels and internet cafes.
The latest foray is easy4men, a range of cosmetics that aims to tap into a market that in the UK alone is estimated to be worth £500 million (€726m). More interesting is the growth of this market, which has risen six-fold in the past five years.
Easy4men it targeting this growth by providing a no-fuss range of products which manages to keep the retail price down to a minimum by minimising on promotional, advertising and packaging costs. Indeed, similar to the exploits of fellow entrepreneur Richard Branson, Haji-loannou chooses to personally model for the product range on the company's website.
James Rothnie, director of corporate affairs for EasyGroup, told CosmeticDesign.com that the main reason for the launch of the line was that the company had seen "a gap in the market and launched easy4men aimed at no-nonsense men who do not respond to expensive advertising. These are simple, good quality products that fulfil their primary function at a reasonable price."
Rothnie added that easyGroup had specifically targeted male consumers because it was considered that the 'easy' brand was a better fit.
"The male market is growing faster and is therefore less crowded than the female market" he said. "Also, the 'easy' brand is better suited to male toiletries and the 'no-nonsense' man. Women, on the other hand, tend to the high end range of the toiletries market."
The range takes in the company's trademark bright orange with simple white typeface for the packaging, making the product recognisable to customers.
"Gillette is the British Airways of male toiletries," Haji-Ioannou said. "Consumers have been paying huge companies like Gillette or Lynx, part of Unilever, too much for their male toiletries but now easy4men has introduced both quality and value into this market."
The range, which includes a hair and body wash, wipes, anti-perspirant and shaving foam retails at between £1.40 and £2.95 for the most expensive item, aftershave balm. Rothnie says that depending on the success of the brand, there could well be further addtions to the product line in the future.
For the time being the products will be sold exclusively through UK-wide high street retailer Boots, which is also responsible for sourcing and manufacturing the line.
