Shiseido eyes mass market for future growth in Asia
China offers key mass market opportunities
The Japanese cosmetics group Shiseido along with other major producers have been trying to move towards a market reconciliation of its traditional top-of-the-range cosmetics products with the need to achieve mass market penetration. The Japanese market has tended to contract as the ageing proportion of the population increases.
Shiseido launched Senka, a new moisturising cream recently and this is to be marketed in Asia at a mid-market price as the group seeks to explore new sources of sales growth in China, Vietnam and Thailand.
Shiseido estimates that there are some 100 million people in China using beauty-care products and this is expected to reach 200 million by 2015.
Shiseido's sales inside Japan still account for 59% of the total and dropped 4% in the first half of fiscal 2010 (April-Sept) but increased 1% abroad despite a strong yen with China accounting for a total of 11% in that period.