Estee Lauder is set to introduce Clinique, its second biggest brand, in Nigeria this year and also in Mozambique in the near future. Clinique has sales over one Billion USD.
The company had launched MAC makeup in Lagos Nigeria in February this year after being “overwhelmed” with requests and will be opening another store there within weeks said Sue Fox, Estee Lauder’s managing director for sub-Saharan Africa, told Reuters in an interview.
“There’s massive interest from the consumers there in international brands,” she said. “We’re very excited about the potential of MAC in Nigeria. That’s led us to pursue a strategy with MAC that will ensure that we’re able to bring the brand to consumers in other markets,” she said.
Estee Lauder has reserved a second new market for MAC which is its third biggest brand, this year and another two or three in 2014, adding to new partner stores in Botswana and Zambia.
The cosmetic company is also about the enter Cote d’Ivoire for the first time with fragrances which is currently its biggest category in Africa. Estee Lauder’s partners in designer fragrances include Tom Ford, Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (KORS.N) and Coach Inc (COH.N).
“The potential of Africa, we believe, is extremely positive and we wouldn’t be entering unless we believe that there was long term sustainable growth,” said the managing director. “Our target consumer is the emerging middle class, the established middle class and that affluent African consumer who’s probably extremely well-traveled and very brand savvy.”
The biggest problem affecting the company’s growth is the lack of retail infrastructure outside South Africa.
