TOP NOTES
KOTLIKOFF RETURNS — Barbara Kotlikoff, former vice chairman and chief marketing officer of the Monet Group Inc., has joined Beautyscene.com as chief operating officer.
She will oversee merchandising, marketing operations and content production, as well as vendor relations, product development, imaging, branding, advertising, promotions and public relations. Tony Hamer is the chief executive officer.
Kotlikoff also had been a managing director at Harry Wilson Inc., and prior to that, she was president and ceo of Nina Ricci Inc. and Parfums Nina Ricci Inc.
FAMILY TIES: Ben Taylor, the 22-year-old son of Carly Simon and James Taylor, has collaborated with his mom on a recording of “My Romance.” The song accompanies the new TV commercial for the men’s and women’s Ralph Lauren Romance fragrances. The ad, shot by Bruce Weber, premiered Thursday.
The strapping Taylor dresses like a mountain climber, speaks like a surfer dude and has the melodious voice of his father — a fact that is not lost on him. During the recording session, the wise-cracking singer sported a pair of black glasses festooned with labels reading, “What’s Your Name?”, “Who’s Your Daddy?” and “Is He Rich Like Me?”
Taylor, who said he was “vibing off the recording session,” is releasing his first album in early 2000.
RYKIEL BEAUTY IN-HOUSE: Sonia Rykiel will not renew its beauty partnership with U.S. beauty company Perfumer’s Workshop International when their agreement expires at the end of 2000. Rykiel subcontracted the development, marketing and distribution of fragrance-related products outside the U.S. to Perfumer’s Workshop.
The Paris designer will develop its beauty business in-house and continue it under the name Sonia Rykiel Parfums Beaute, said Simon Burstein, president of the design house and managing director of the wholly owned Parfums Beaute division.
Since their deal began, Perfumer’s Workshop and Rykiel have launched a signature women’s and men’s scent.
WELLA NUMBERS: Pretax profits for Germany’s Wella Group were up 12.4 percent, to $75.8 million, for the first nine months of the year. According to the company, its sales rose 2.9 percent to $1.6 billion.
In the third quarter, pretax profits were up 24.3 percent and sales jumped 11.9 percent year on year.
“Sales growth of 4 percent to 5 percent and a double-digit increase in profits are still expected at yearend,” said Jorg von Craushaar, chairman of Wella’s management board, in a statement.
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SEPHORA IN TOKYO: More than 9,000 customers surged through the new Sephora store in Tokyo when it opened on Nov. 28. The 10,300-square-foot store, located on the Ginza, is the French perfumery chain’s entry into Japan.
Sephora plans to open 40 to 50 shops in Japan within five years, mainly at big markets in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo and Fukuoka. There are plans for 12 shops in the heart of Tokyo.