Beiersdorf Middle East, trademark owners of the Nivea brand, has posted an increase of 23.4 per cent in sales during the first half of the year as against the same period of 2009.

“Our results are fully in-line with expectations as we take advantage of smaller spend sizes amongst consumers who still want to pamper themselves in an affordable and luxurious way,” said Robert Taylor-Hughes, managing director and CEO, qualifying the company’s results across the GCC, Levant, North Africa and West Asia.

“Some notable net sales results are deodorants have grown by a massive 30 per cent and we are by far the individual brand leader in the region by market share.”

“Shower products have grown 41.8 per cent as more and more consumers upgrade from simple bar soaps where we still however maintain double digit growth,” he added.

“Our business in sun care protection has almost doubled, but our best category result is in men’s grooming sector, where due to some specific category management activities we have grown +57.3%, dramatically reducing the market shares of our key competitors, one of which now looks like exiting the category all together,” Taylor-Hughes noted.

When asked about innovations Taylor-Hughes said: “We have successfully launched our teens categories Angel Star for girls and Menergy for boys with great on-line campaigns and touch point marketing, Angel Star deodorant is already the number one selling deo spray in Carrefour and we have far exceeded our sales expectations.”

“Similarly we have had great innovations in our exclusive pharmacy range of products Eucerin with the launch of AQuaporin, which has been a massive hit with pharmacists and consumers alike as a patented Nobel prize winning technology makes it way for the first time into an affordable  skincare product, delivering maximum hydration to dry skin sufferers,” he concluded. – TradeArabia News Service