NEW YORK — It could be a breakout year for specialty men’s grooming brand Sharps, which plans to open its first barbershop here — and launch a product line at Target stores.
The firm, which was founded in October 2002 by Oliver Sweatman and Larry Paul, currently markets a line of shaving and skin care products carried in some 250 specialty stores in the U.S., as well as select barbershops and salons.
But, thanks to a distribution deal finalized with Target Corp. in August, Sharps is now set to introduce a newly developed secondary product line, dubbed Sharps Barber Brigade, at the chain. The 18-item shave, face and body care line is to be carried at the mass retailer’s 1,400 locations starting next month.
Sweatman considers Barber Brigade the firm’s “diffusion line.” He is betting a wholesale business in the mass market will give Sharps the financial wherewithal to further develop its specialty store products and company-owned retail space — including its first barbershop. Sharps is in final negotiations on a location for a barbershop/retail store in downtown Manhattan.
Sharps executives wouldn’t discuss terms of the Target deal, but the venture could be a boon for the young grooming brand. While Sharps’ wholesale sales volume stands at $3 million today, it could more than triple to $10 million by yearend.
Sweatman described the area where Barber Brigade will be merchandised in Target as a “grooming section in a new ‘trade-up’ aisle Target is creating in all stores.”
While Sweatman and Paul declined to speculate as to what other men’s brands might be included in the new Target aisle, it’s believed the area will be separate from brands such as Nivea for Men, L’Oréal Men’s Expert, Gillette Complete Skincare and Neutrogena Men.
The Barber Brigade range, priced between $6.99 and $8.99, will include 12 shaving and facial care items — namely face wash, shave gel, aftershave and toner — grouped into three fragrance families: Mint Kick, Citrus Bite and No Smell. Items will address different skin conditions and beard density with designations like Heavy, Light and Rebellious. There also will be body scrubs and body washes in Spearmint Jolt, Lemon Fix and Wood Ease scents, as well as four gift sets.
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“Axe got guys into cologne fragrances,” Paul said of the Unilever-owned deodorant brand, but “this is a huge opportunity to get guys into natural-smelling fragrances.”
Sweatman attributes the Target deal in part to executives at the retail chain getting hooked on Sharps’ core products. “Target had been after Sharps for a while,” he said. “They like our premium brand.”
He noted that Sharps could distribute Barber Brigade elsewhere, especially at “large-scale retailers committed to grooming,” and the company is eyeing distribution opportunities overseas.
In terms of distribution growth — aside from Target — Sharps is planning to expand its specialty store network by 100 new doors for a total of 400 doors in the next 12 months. The brand’s 250 doors in the U.S. include Barneys New York, Bloomingdale’s, Bishops Barbershop in Portland, Ore. and independent boutiques and apothecaries. The line is carried in 50 international doors, including Space NK in the U.K., Colette in France and Roy in Australia.
As Sharps gradually expands its specialty distribution network, Sweatman asserted that “building the business with existing [retailers]” and “driving comp-store growth” remain priorities. The brand’s comparative-store growth is running at about 25 percent.
Sharps has several new products on deck for specialty stores, as well, including Mission Control Bald Head Balm SPF 15. It’s also developing a line of back bar products.
Sweatman has organized Sharps’ overall strategy around three areas: “innovation, education and growth.” He sees the barbershop and Target strategies fitting into the innovation piece. Regarding education, Paul said Sharps would like to “educate new school barbers,” or barbers trained in “traditional [methods] combined with modern techniques of stylists.”
Sharps also is planning to beef up its corporate sales, marketing and operational staff, which currently numbers eight executives. Sweatman would like to add five or six more “key executives” in the next nine to 12 months. The firm plans to move its headquarters to its planned barbershop location, noted Paul, who added that Sharps wants to run a “creative lab” on the premises for research and development, and an area to educate consumers and train businesses that carry Sharps.
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