Leading beauty retailer Nykaa has joined hands with ELCA Cosmetics Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of global beauty company Estee Lauder Companies, to launch premium salons in India. This move marks Nykaa’s entry into the professional beauty services segment.
The salons will be branded ‘Aveda X Nykaa’ and will have a strong focus on offering luxury professional hair care services, among others. The first co-branded salon has been launched in Bengaluru with plans to open two additional salons this year.
Enter into tie up
ELCA Cosmetics Pvt Ltd and FSN Brands Marketing Pvt Ltd (a material subsidiary of FSN E-Commerce Ventures Limited) have tied up to enter the professional luxury hair care space, the two companies said on Wednesday. Estee Lauder Companies owns various global brands including leading hair care brand Aveda. The partners did not comment on the commercials of the partnership.
Anchit Nayar, CEO, E-commerce Beauty, Nykaa, told BusinessLine, “We want to grow and premiumise the beauty market and bring the best the world has to offer to Indian consumers. This partnership is based on these fundamental beliefs. We believe the haircare category in India is ripe for disruption and we felt Aveda was the best partner to be able to offer differentiated solutions for the discerning Indian consumers. Besides distributing Aveda products through multiple channels, including our B2B distribution business, we are also partnering to open flagship salons that will bring a unique and innovative salon experience to the country.“
He added, “ The salons are part of a broader strategy of premiumising hair care segment in India. We will focus on doing this in a sustainable and conscious manner. So initially we are looking to open only a couple of flagship salons and see how the consumers receive it.”
The companies said the partnership will leverage on Nykaa’s retail and Indian beauty knowledge and expertise of brand Aveda’s performance and clean beauty products.
To drive awareness
Rohan Vaziralli, General Manager, ELCA Cosmetics Pvt Ltd, said the association will help drive awareness and sales growth for the brand in the country. “Nykaa will operationally run and operate these salons and we will bring training and expertise on hair care regimes and rituals. We have so far planned to open three salons this year which will operate as experience centres for the brand. After Bangalore, we will open salons in New Delhi and Mumbai.Once we have established learnings, we will accelerate further in terms of new opportunities in new cities,” he added.
Besides running the salons, the two companies said they will also focus on partnering with existing salon operators. “ We will also look at how we can support the broader salon community and ecosystem not only in terms of offering them products for retail as well as for their own services,” added Nayar.
Founded in 1978 as a cruelty-free brand, Aveda is known for its vegan hair, skin and body products and sold in over 45 countries and territories.