City of Industry, CA
909.595.8898
www.markwins.com
Sales: $450 million
Sales:
$450 million (estimated).
Key Personnel:
Eric Sung-Tsei Chen, chief executive officer; Bill George, president; Martin Toh, general manager; Eric Weeks, vice president, sales; Brian Talbot, vice president, marketing and chief marketing officer.
Major Products:
Cosmetics brands including Wet n Wild, Black Radiance, Tropez, The Color Institute, The Color Workshop, The Spa Workshop, Disney’s Princess, High School Musical, ck Calvin Klein Beauty. Bestsellers include Color Icon Brow & Eye Pencil, Color Icon Lipliner, Color Icon Eyeshadow, Wild Shine Nail Color, Silk Finish Lipstick, MegaSlicks Lip Gloss, MegaLength Mascara.
New Products:
Fast Dry Nail Color, MegaLash Clinical Serum, MegaLash Clinical Mascara,MegaLast Retractable Eyeliner, Color Icon Shimmer Pencil, Glassy Gloss Lip Gel, Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio (shade extension), Color Icon Brow & Eye Liner (shade extension).
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The Wet ‘n’ Wild Color Icon trio. |
Comments:
Markwins Beauty Products, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Markwins International Corporation. Based in City of Industry, CA, Markwins Beauty is a purveyor of leading brands Wet n Wild, Black Radiance and Fantasy Makers. Markwins Beauty Products is poised to enjoy its most successful year in the brand’s 30 year history, according to company executives.
According to recent AC Nielsen figures (April 16, 2011), Wet n Wild is the fastest growing brand in the Top 10 food, drug, mass brands. Similarly, Black Radiance is the leading growth brand within its category, ethnic color cosmetics. Together, these stalwart brands are fueling exceptional sales growth with retailers around the world. The company’s success can be tied to three key strategic investments: personnel, alliance micro marketing and technology.
The company has been quietly adding talent at home and abroad to organize for the next wave of expansion. Key additions include executive level placements in sales and marketing, research and development, trade marketing, supply chain management and regulatory affairs. The addition of this top-tier talent is manifested in superior new product development with speed-to-market and near-perfect fill rate.
New sales and marketing leadership teams have allowed the company to enhance strategic alliances with many retail partners that are delivering exceptional sales results. Since the New Year, Wet n Wild has consistently ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in retail sales growth, both units and dollars, among the top 10 cosmetic brands. Company officials say these gains are made strictly through the consumer’s acceptance of new products and improved promotional events, and not as a result of new distribution. In fact, Wet n Wild maintains its remarkable growth rate, despite lacking full FDM channel distribution.
The thrust of the company’s retail success is demonstrated in speed-to-market of new cosmetic technologies. Two examples of the brand’s success are found in Wet n Wild’s new Fast Dry Nail Color in 18 glamorous shades, as well as a proprietary formulation of lash-growth serum and mascara (MegaLash Clinical Serum & Mascara).
Markwins knows its mass marketplace. In October 2010, the company tapped Michael Cole as its Walmart team leader. Cole is responsible for both divisions at Walmart; Markwins Beauty Products, featuring the Wet n Wild and Black Radiance brands; and Markwins International, featuring The Color Workshop, ACT and Barbie.
Cole joined Markwins directly from Johnson & Johnson. As director of strategic planning there, he led the teams responsible for product innovation, new item development and consumer insights for all FDM retail customers. Prior to Johnson & Johnson, Cole was a senior buyer at Walmart Stores Inc. for multiple key categories including OTC, household cleaning and sporting goods. He was also instrumental in launching Walmart International and Walmart.com.
The company is also taking a global approach to its personnel moves. In March 2011, Markwins International appointed Jason Chen as sales manager for Latin America. In this role, he will be responsible for sales in Central America, Caribbean and the Andine countries: Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru. According to the company, Chen has been an integral part of Markwins International for over seven years, of which the last six were spent in their Shenzhen factory. His responsibilities there included serving as a vital link between Latin America and the production teams.
“I am confident that with Jason’s operational experience, teamed with his skills and drive, he will be a great asset to the team that is currently expanding our business throughout Latin America,” said Shawn Haynes, senior vice president of sales for Markwins International.
Chen will be based in the City of Industry, CA office and will report to Katia May, who has been promoted to director of sales and business development for Latin America. In 2010, May single-handedly ran the entire territory and exceeded her sales budget by 14.6%, said the company.
“With Jason joining Katia on this team, we are confident that Markwins International will achieve another year of double digit sales increases in Latin America,” said Haynes.
According to the company, it has recently made capital investments to enhance its SPF product portfolio. In the weeks and months ahead, Markwins Beauty will expand its offering of cosmetic formulas and innovations with UV protection.
It also just awarded some teens via Wet n Wild Cares, a nationwide charity program to support proms at select high schools. The charity effort provided 10 locations with $1,000 to make their prom dreams a reality along with $1,000 worth of makeup.
