With nearly €500 million in global revenue, Alfaparf Milano is a major player in the professional hair & beauty industry. Representing about 60% of the company’s total turnover, Central and South America are its best-performing markets. Alfaparf has been present in there for 35 years and, in some regions like Mexico, it has gained first position in sales thanks to capillary distribution and dedicated production plants. To understand the current situation better, Estetica Export talked to Luca Bresciani, who supervises the Direct Branch of Alfaparf Milano in Mexico and has a long and sound experience in LATAM markets.
You are now the Sales & Marketing Director for Alfaparf in Mexico. Can you tell us something about your experience in the company?
“I started working for ALFAPARF MILANO in 2008 and since 2012 I moved from Italy to Mexico. I worked for 3 years as a Mexico Marketing Director, then 5 years as a LATAM Marketing Director and since 2020 as Commercial & Marketing Director for Mexico”.
Alfaparf is one of the most important companies in professional hair in Latin America. What have been the main steps of its development?
“The most important step was the first one in the ’80s, when ALFAPARF started its export development plan to LATAM, starting with a distributor in each country and then with a direct branch very quickly and finally with production plants. Right now, we have 4 plants and 14 direct branches in LATAM Countries”.
How is the hair & beauty market doing in Latin America?
“It’s a growing, vibrant market which trends similarly to the luxury market: it will always be strong because beauty is something that Latin American people take very seriously”.
And what about in Mexico, where you operate?
“It’s pretty much the same, but with one important detail: despite the possible problems and issues that exist at a socio-political level, the Mexican economy is one of the most solid and powerful in Latin America”.
What are the major companies that operate in the region?
“All the professional product brands are there, such as L’Oréal, the Henkel Group, Wella, Salerm and Davines”.
What is Alfaparf’s position in the Mexican market?
“We are proud to affirm that for 3 years ago ALFAPARF MILANO has been the no. 1 brand in terms of professional product sales, while YELLOW is heading for the top 5”.
How did Alfaparf achieve such success?
“Its history and strong presence in the LATAM Market for more than 35 years helps a lot, but if I had to choose one point it is without doubt the way we’ve built a close relationship with our clients. Different areas have come successfully together by working in the same direction: commercial, marketing, education, finance and logistics”.
How is your sales network organized in Mexico? “There is a strong presence of direct sales (more than 120 people), a specific small sales force dedicated to beauty supply and a group of strong distributors who work on those territories which are difficult for us to reach directly”.
What is the difference between the Alfaparf and Yellow brands?
“They are two professional brands: one Premium and with a wide product portfolio (APM) and the other (Yellow) cover the mid-range of the market with a smart products portfolio and an excellent price/quality ratio”.
Do you consider trade fairs important for your business?
“If a brand is new, or is entering into a new market, then I think they are still quite important and strategic, for example when we launched Coloramore in LATAM for the low range market in the beauty supply channel”.
How do you promote your brands in Mexico?
“With strong educational support on different levels for all kinds of hair stylists, with incentive trips for salon owners, with specific and personalized projects of visibility and sell-out strategies both for salons and beauty supply channels, with merchandising presence below and above the line, with communication through social media and client’s websites”.
What are you planning for the near future?
“To keep working to make stronger and closer relationships with our direct clients, with a special focus on up-and-coming hairstylists. In the meanwhile, we are developing all the sales channels (for example e-commerce) with the goal of maintaining a well-balanced market strategy”.
