The name Courvoisier may evoke images of sumptuous evenings filled with tasty food and cigar smoke — but now fragrance can be added to the picture.
This is in thanks to the efforts of Kraft International Marketing Inc., which has produced a men’s scent called Courvoisier L’edition Imperiale. It quietly went on counter at Bergdorf Goodman in New York this week as a preview to its official launch Monday, and the fragrance began selling out. “It is doing extremely well,” said Pat Saxby, vice president and divisional merchandise manager for cosmetics and fragrances at Bergdorf’s. “We have to reorder it already,” she added, noting that the store usually stocks a two- or three-month supply. “This is pretty fast.”
Why Bergdorf would launch a fragrance named after a brand of cognac is not a mystery. “We loved the fragrance and the packaging,” noted Ed Burstell, senior vice president and general merchandise manager.
The Courvoisier fragrance will be featured in window displays on the Fifth Avenue side of Bergdorf’s men’s store Monday and the fragrance will be merchandised on the men’s bar inside. The scent was advertised in Bergdorf’s magazine.
The fragrance was produced and marketed by the father and son team of Zack E. and Paul N. Baron of Kraft International in Fairfield, N.J. Zack Baron, who has spent his career working in the international environs of the beauty and fragrance industry, is the company president, while Paul is the vice president of marketing and the point man of the team.
While Bergdorf has the New York exclusive, the company is in talks with Nordstrom for the national launch, probably in the second half, Paul Baron said, adding that fragrance veteran Alan Beck of CBS will join the effort, handling national sales. And distribution already is being lined up overseas, with commitments in the U.K. for an April launch at Harrods and John Lewis, plus a third-quarter introduction at Fortnum & Mason, according to the company. Brown Thomas in Ireland also is slated to launch in the third quarter. In Italy, the fragrance will go on sale in May in 120 perfumeries, the same month it will bow in 60 perfumeries in St. Petersburg and Moscow and in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman. The fragrance will also be distributed in selected Latin American countries in May, according to Paul Baron, and talks are under way for distribution in Germany, France, Switzerland, the Benelux countries and Spain.
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The fragrance is a woody oriental, developed by Mane in France. The line consists of two sizes of eau de parfum, a 2.5-oz. version for $98 and a 4.2-oz. size for $145. The company is developing line extensions, scheduled for the fourth quarter, including aftershave balm, aftershave splash, a deodorant stick, candles and soaps.
The fragrance was built around the image of Courvoisier as an iconic product with 200 years of rich heritage dating back to Napoleon, who was its biggest fan. Paul Baron pointed out that there is no cognac note in the formula, because the marketers wanted to accentuate the aspirational lifestyle suggested by the name.
Rights to the name were licensed from the Beam Global Spirits & Wine division of Fortune Brands. According to Paul Baron, Courvoisier has five big markets: the U.S., U.K., China, Russia and Japan. It is the number-one cognac brand in the U.K. and 50 percent of sales are generated by women. It ranks between second and third in the U.S. and it is number one in Europe with a 39.4 percent share. Net sales exceeded $200 million worldwide in 2005. “The imagery represents the Courvoisier heritage,” he said. “We pushed the boundaries to create a custom package.”
Indeed, the bottle is made of heavy 260-g. glass, manufactured by Bormioli Luigi, and the designers took the unusual step of embedding the metal components into the glass. The customer target is ambitious young urban professionals, aged 25 to 35, both men and women.
Paul Baron said he also is developing a high-priced toiletries kit and equally expensive grooming box to sell for the holidays and the company is in discussions for distribution in travel retail. The company did not project possible sales, but industry sources estimate the fragrance could generate $25 million in retail sales globally.