Nature’s Care plans luxury stores

Nature’s-CareNature’s Care  plans to open luxury retail stores in Hong Kong and China to boost its brand credentials.

The company, Australia’s third largest manufacturer of supplements and health products, believes opening its own retail stores will increase consumer trust in the brand in China – which is becoming a core market for the company.

The vitamins and health supplement industry in Australasia is booming on the back of exports, largely into Asia, and Nature’s Care has reported a 151 per cent increase in year-on-year sales  so far in 2016.

High end retail stores are planned initially for Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

“This is a very exciting time for Nature’s Care as we extend our supply chain from R&D, through manufacturing production, to now be able to sell direct to consumer in fully owned premium stores,” said Steven Collett, GM of Nature’s Care.

“The strength of demand for our products in the region has kept us running at full production capacity all of 2016, and our continued confidence in the market here and abroad has enabled us to take this step forward in [the company’s] evolution.”

Jack Wu, director, said the high street presence will help grow the company’s reputation as the trusted Australian brand in the sector.

“Within the sector, Nature’s Care holds the unique position of fully owning the manufacturing process across all products, ensuring the highest levels of quality control,” he added.

The company’s ‘black label’ range, Nature’s Care Pro Series, will be the centrepiece of the new stores, which will target wealthy Asian tourists and high-end local shoppers in each market.

“There is a gap in the market for an ultra-premium range,” he said. “We want to be in the same area as Prada, Dior and Gucci.”

Store designs will be influenced by Nestle’s Nespresso and high-end cellar door experiences in the wine industry, Collett told the Australian Financial Review.

The Shanghai and Hong Kong stores are likely to open in the second or third quarter of 2017.

Nature’s Care is currently for sale, its family owners likely to net in excess of $800 million (US$604 million).

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