TOP NOTES
CLUB COTY USA: Coty Inc. has entered a licensing agreement with Club Mediterranee to develop a collection of fragrance and bath and body products that will carry the Club Med name. The products, currently in development, are being designed to reflect the Club Med values of “happiness, beauty, spontaneity and fun,” according to Coty. The line will roll out in the fall of 2001 and will be sold in retail outlets in the U.S. and Club Med resorts worldwide. Club Med currently operates in 40 countries.
NEXT DAY DELIVERY: Gift catalog firm Fragrance Express is rolling out a mall kiosk program that sells fragrances as gifts, with shipping as part of the package. Fragrances will not be available for onsite purchase, according to Ken Barker, vice president of Fragrance Express.
Barker said the first kiosks appeared last month in malls in Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Boyton Beach, Fla. “We hope to open 400 to 600 over the next two years,” he said. The goal is to offer the top 80 prestige scents for same-day or next-day delivery.
What the company does sell over the counter, however, are cosmetics and nail care items from the Nat Robbins, Fetish, Pro10 and Tinkerbell brands, which were acquired by an investment group last year that also owns Fragrance Express.
PHOTO FINISH: Giorgio Armani Parfums has a picture-perfect promotion: From May 19 to June 1, shoppers are invited to have their picture taken free of charge in a photo express booth at Bloomingdale’s in Manhattan. The strip of four instant snaps comes printed with the Emporio Armani fragrance logo and tag line. At press time, more than 600 people had stopped by the booth.
CONTRADICTION’S COUPLE: Contradiction has a new face, supermodel Carolyn Murphy. She replaces Christy Turlington, the original model, and stars in the new campaign along with Justin Chambers, the Contradiction man. The TV commercial debuted this month, and the print effort will break here in October. Both were lensed by Jean Baptiste Mondino.