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Potential for growth: Latvian beauty company Stenders is making inroads into Singapore

SINGAPORE — In a cosmetics industry dominated by big brand names from France, Italy and America, a quaint brand hailing from the small country of Latvia is attempting to vie for a slice of the pie with the big boys.

SINGAPORE — In a cosmetics industry dominated by big brand names from France, Italy and America, a quaint brand hailing from the small country of Latvia is attempting to vie for a slice of the pie with the big boys.

This is a challenge felt even more keenly in Singapore, which is served by international brands and where Korean brands have also gained a strong foothold. But, the head honcho of Stenders has high hopes that it would be able to appeal to the hearts and minds of consumers here with its intimate “boutique” feel.

Julien Laporte, who is chief executive of the company and chairman of the board, acknowledged the competitive market here and the fact that it is a relatively unknown brand in this part of Asia.

But, noting that Singapore consumers are “the most educated in the whole region” with strong product knowledge and high expectations for product quality, Laporte said they are up for the challenge in persuading consumers that they are the ones to look out for. “If we can make it here, we can make it anywhere,” he said. “We believe we have good products and if people love the products, they will come back.”

The company began in 2001 with a young couple, Janis Berzins and Zane Dreimane, who made soaps and bath balls by hand and sold them in a small store in Berga Bazars in Latvia. The popularity of the brand spread quickly and within seven years, there were 22 stores in Latvia alone. Fifteen years on, Stenders has more than 225 stores worldwide, in countries such as Sweden, Austria, Germany and Russia. China is its biggest market, with more than 100 stores.

It now produces more than 320 products for skin, hair, bath and body, and rolled out a men’s line just a month ago.

Even so, the brand has not lost its essence. Each item is still handmade by 150 staff in Latvia and shipped to its stores, and are produced in the same way the founders did back then.

This is where Laporte hopes to set itself apart from other big names, which have resorted to mass production as they expanded.

“As the company grew, we invested in people, we did not invest in machines. There are almost no machines in the company,” he added.

More than half of its natural ingredients — honeycombs, peppermint, cranberries, lavender, for instance — are sourced from farmers in Latvia. The stores, too, are kept similar in look and feel from the original store, said Laporte. The couple are still in the company as owners and shareholders.

The brand is hoping to use Singapore as a launchpad to South-east Asia, and its flagship store at Plaza Singapura opened yesterday.

Singapore consumers are more open to new things and products from other regions and may appreciate the quality of their products, said Laporte, who described their brand as having a touch of “magic”.

The store is meant to offer an experience — from the time one steps into the store and is greeted by the staff, to the way the items are packaged — he noted. For instance, even if consumers end up walking out not having bought anything, they are ushered out with smiles, said Laporte. The emphasis is on relationships, loyalty and attention to detail, and they are not one to push people to buy their products. That is quite unique in this industry, he added.

Stenders also prides itself on having unique products that no one else has.

“Many brands say they are natural, but they are not really natural. At Stenders, we don’t just say it, we show it. If you open our scrubs, for example, that’s the only scrubs in the world where you’ll see grains, seeds and petals,” he said.

Laporte hopes to open five outlets here in two to three years’ time, and they may explore products that are tailored to Asian skin, such as whitening products and CC or BB creams. However, he does not wish to expand too quickly, so as to maintain a sense of exclusivity and its boutique feel — a quality the brand holds dear.

“We don’t necessarily want to be everywhere,” he said.

Stenders is located at Plaza Singapura, The Atrium@Orchard, #03-75.

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