CVS Kicks Up Its Heels for Boots

In its latest foray into exclusive European makeup lines, CVS is testing products from the U.K.-based Boots brand at select stores in Connecticut. The 150-year-old brand, which is sold in more than 130 countries, joins fellow imports Vichy and Lumene on CVS shelves.This summer, the retailer began test marketing 10 of Boots' cosmetics, skin care and spa brands at 12 stores in southern Connecticut. The brand receives extensive display space in cosmetics departments in the form of island counters, endcaps and illuminated wall units. Ceiling danglers, shelf signs, counter cards and wall signs round out the merchandising mix. Samples and testers are interspersed with products to create a boutique or department store atmosphere. Various promotional tactics have been employed to hype the launch. Celebrity makeup artists, hair stylists and skin care specialists (some of whom have Boots' brands named after them) visited stores to offer demonstrations and tips. Boots also trained CVS employees in select locations to serve as on-site makeup consultants. Among incentives, CVS offered a free Boots product with a purchase of $12 or more. The chain also touted the introduction with a stand-alone insert distributed in local newspapers. The insert included a coupon for $5 off a Boots purchase of $15 or more. London-based Boots Group PLC, takes its name from British pharmacist, John Boot. The company operates 1,400 stores overseas and also has been testing in Target stores in Denver and Minneapolis since February. Boots plans a national product rollout in the U.S. but has not determined if it will arrive through exclusive retailer agreements, according to a spokesperson.The test exemplifies CVS' ongoing strategy of becoming a destination for female shoppers. A key means of fulfilling that strategy has been exclusive cosmetic offerings. In 2003, the chain became the sole U.S. retailer for Finland's Lumene, touting its launch with circular features and in-store events. The brand utilizes prominent, brightly lit wall displays whose sleek, modern look sets them apart from displays for national brands. Meanwhile, CVS, along with East Coast drugstore chain Brooks, currently is exclusively carrying items from L'Oreal Paris' Vichy line. As of August 2004, more than 90 CVS stores on the East Coast contained the brand's Healthy Skincare Centers, which feature a desk offering product samples, informational brochures and computerized skin analysis tools. Vichy-trained CVS employees are available by appointment to conduct skin profiles, make product recommendations and give follow-up consultations. Vichy is sold in 65 countries. The brand is expected to roll out nationally in the U.S. soon.As it introduces these new products, CVS is revamping cosmetics departments to appear more like makeup counters in department stores. A center island (and often endcaps) holds products from the aforementioned lines and various national brands. Cotton swabs and mirrors are on hand for shoppers who sample.CVS is not the only retailer attempting to win loyal female shoppers via exclusive health and beauty products, nor is it the first. Coty used Wal-Mart as the exclusive U.S. retailer for the launch of its Rimmel cosmetics line in 2000 (now carried elsewhere). With Mira, Eckerd has taken private-label makeup to another level by creating a pseudo-national brand. Target uses a similar approach with a slew of exclusive lines, such as Sonia Kashuk cosmetics and the recently launched Umberto hair care brand.

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