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Join Our Team

+44 (0)20 3332 0343

E: request@thebespokeadvantage.com

Developing Beauty Brands for M&S

‘Janet is a very experienced professional in the beauty industry. Level headed with clear vision, direction and the ability to drive business forward. Janet has excellent beauty market knowledge, gives clear direction of travel for design and pricing structure. Janet led the teams through a complete product design change showing clear direction and advising on what the key marketing messages should be, incorporating her technical knowledge and beauty expertise.’

Buyer, Marks & Spencer

Success Highlights
Led the Buying and Product Development Team for private label beauty across 9 categories for M&S, from ‘concept to shelf’. Managed Far Eastern and European suppliers accountable for over 800 product lines in 750 stores and international franchises. Conceptualized and launched innovative skincare, new fragrances, body lines and gifting increasing total forecasted sales for both categories by 10% Relaunched beauty accessories with a new design direction, in new packaging and with innovative new products.

The Issue
M&S competed with branded beauty across leading department stores on the high street. Beauty department was hidden behind lingerie in stores, rather than positioned on the ground floor as a key footfall driver. Beauty sales were predominantly driven by private label gifting, fragrance and toiletries. Beauty department lacked dedicated staffing with beauty expertise. Skincare was difficult to shop. Beauty accessories were poorly packaged and merchandised in-store.

The Approach

Cross functional tea work
Worked with a cross-functional team of buyers, merchandisers, technologists, designers, marketing, PR and creative agencies to develop the product strategy for skincare, cosmetics, fragrances, sun care, beauty accessories, travel accessories, electricals, sunglasses and cosmetics bags.

Improved costs and quality
Sourced, negotiated and managed Far East and European suppliers and contract manufacturers to deliver improvements in margins, quality and fulfilment and to develop more innovative products.

Staff training, location and PR
Advised on training of permanent staff for their beauty department, better store locations and merchandising to enable ease of shopping. Advised on better visibility of beauty online, and in their in-store magazine raising profile and credibility of beauty.

Credible skincare
Introduced innovative new products including serums, eye creams, eye make-up removers, day and night creams, skincare gifts and beauty electricals. Negotiated and implemented new pricing for skincare improving margins, and introduced a new merchandising unit, for ease of shopping.

Increased fragrance sales
Working with international fragrances houses, Givaudan and CPL, mapped out gaps within M&S fragrance portfolio to develop best-selling fragrances, body lines and gift sets.

Relaunched beauty accessories
Together with the buying team and suppliers conducted market research, based on consumer insights repackaged and relaunched over 75 beauty accessory products.

Branded beauty
Branded beauty was a concept M&S were looking to introduce. Working with the pilot Branded Beauty team, advised on which brands to approach and the strategy for securing premium brands without cannibalizing sales of their private label beauty.

The Results
Janet led the beauty department through the development and launch of innovative new products across skincare, cosmetics, fragrances, sun care, beauty accessories to deliver an increase in sales and margins, improve PR, merchandising and in-store locations.  Branded beauty was introduced – albeit at a later stage – and this has repositioned the beauty offering within M&S balancing private label beauty with niche beauty brands.

If you would like to discuss how we can work with you to develop and grow your brand in the marketplace, GET IN TOUCH, we would love to hear from you.

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Strategic Beauty. Global Expertise.

Bespoke Advantage is an international beauty brand consultancy. We support you with translating your blue sky thinking into reality. From brand identity and visual language to product development and go-to-market strategies we provide you with a seamless, turnkey service.
We are proud to work alongside a diverse portfolio of clients across the globe—from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Australia, North America, and Europe – including visionary entrepreneurs, multi-award-winning brands, investors, retailers, trade bodies, and embassies.

By partnering with us you will come to realise that we shine a global lens on every brand we collaborate with, and our insights are underpinned by creativity, commerciality and deep industry expertise.

If you’re ready to build something remarkable, get in touch, we would love to hear from you.

Filter Our Case studies

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Bespoke is a brand management expert with deep industry knowledge, extensive experience and a comprehensive understanding of the beauty and personal industry in the UK and Europe, complemented by an extensive network of contacts in the relevant market segments. Bespoke’s expertise, experience and contacts significantly contributed the success of the UK/Europe project with the companies that Bespoke assisted successfully entering or well on track to enter the UK and European markets. The Bespoke team was very professional, responsive and obliging and always delivered within timeframes. It was a pleasure to work with them.
Director, International Markets, TIQ, Queensland
‘I have been working with Janet and her team at Bespoke Advantage for over a year and my experience has been nothing short of excellent. My dream of developing a brand is coming to life with Janet’s expertise and her team’s patience and perseverance. Janet is organized and delivers on what she promises. As I set out on a mission to develop a brand, I quickly learned that there are details that I would not be able to manage without the Bespoke team. From packaging to branding, testing and compatibility, developing a brand requires a team that has experience. Janet and her team are wonderful to work with since they have the experience and the understanding of how to build a brand that will be attractive to the consumer. Janet never makes decisions without my approval and always listens to what my vision is for the brand. They are working toward making my dream come true. I highly recommend Bespoke Advantage to help anyone who is looking to develop a brand.’
Wellness BrandFounder & CEO
‘As a Queensland-based company, we were determined to tap into the European market and establish a strong presence. From the very beginning, Bespoke Advantage demonstrated a deep understanding of our export goals and objectives. Their comprehensive knowledge of the European market, coupled with their extensive network of contacts, enabled them to connect us with key decision-makers and influential stakeholders in our target countries. Their strategic guidance and insights were invaluable in shaping our export strategy and positioning us for long-term success.’
Founder, Standard Procedure
‘Janet has a wealth of experience across retail, buying and marketing. She conducted a full strategic review of our cross functional business and the travel retail market to develop a comprehensive buying and quality control strategy that was signed off at board level. I highly recommend her as an asset to any business.’
MD, Global Travel Retail Company
“Pop up started yesterday with everyone raving about how nice our branding/packaging looks!”
FounderSkincare Brand
“It has been an absolute pleasure to work with you and your team. Thank you for the excellent work. I am very pleased to see the outcomes are starting to flow through and demonstrate the return on the investment.''
Foreign EmbassyHead of Trade
Working with Janet over the past year has been a real pleasure, she has fantastic industry experience and knowledge of the UK beauty market. She has delivered a number of webinars for my clients looking at how to enter the UK market, providing an overview of the market and how to build a strategy. She took the briefs we provided and added real value to them, included key insights and information that my clients have found incredibly useful. Feedback on these sessions has been very positive. Janet is a clear communicator and has always delivered as agreed and on time. We are continuing to work together on other projects and I very much value the conversations we share.
Senior trade advisor, Enterprise Ireland
‘Janet has excellent beauty market knowledge. Level headed with clear vision, direction and the ability to drive business forward, Janet led the teams through a complete product design change advising on what the key marketing messages should be, incorporating her technical knowledge and beauty expertise.’
Buyer, M&S, London
‘Through Janet’s management skills, expertise and proven track record on the job she successfully managed the purchasing of our retail operations and ensured the integrity of our brands in-stores. Her enthusiasm and total dedication, delivered results in any project she was involved in.’
General Manager, Harvey Nichols, Al Tayer Group, Dubai
‘Absolutely fantastic course. Condensed learning from Janet, an expert in developing beauty brands. Also, valuable introductions to expert professionals, in the Masterclass sessions. In 12 weeks, you will learn from Janet, what would take years to learn by yourself. A very worthwhile investment’
Founding Member, BeautytoLife, Bridgette
“Thank you Janet and Team, we thoroughly enjoyed the presentation, and the quality of your materials is outstanding!''
Alive Bodycare CEO