“Cooee! It’s your Liz Earle lady calling!”
Yes, this week brought the rather unexpected news that American giant Avon (best known for its iconic door-to-door ‘Avon lady’ sales reps) has bought one of the UK’s leading natural beauty brands, Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare.
Although the all-cash deal has secured Avon a 100% acquisition, the co-founders – Liz Earle and Kim Buckland – will continue to manage the company as a stand-alone brand located in the UK.
We consumers have been assured that product development will continue as usual (with both a mineral-based sunscreen and hair care range in the offing for 2010), however the obvious main cause of concern for all loyal Liz Earle customers is that future development and growth of the brand does not come at the cost of its premium natural and organic ingredients.
Having successfully capitalised its sales via the television shopping channel QVC (the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser reportedly sells at a staggering rate of one a minute), it comes has no surprise that a direct selling business plan, such as one that Avon is a market leader in, would suit the brand well. Let’s just hope global expansion (aided by Avon’s presence in more than 100 markets around the world) doesn’t mean compromising on Liz Earle’s global fair trade ingredients sourcing practices as well.
