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The Japan Times
WORLD EYE REPORTS
ONTARIO |
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©THE JAPAN TIMES
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Saturday, March 27, 2004
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Getting on top the Shiseido way
The North American cosmetics market is one of the most competitive, fought over by all of the foremost global players in the sector. Shiseido is one of those players and it has successfully competed through innovative strategies that have worked in this difficult but rich market.
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To reinforce Shiseido’s already strong position in the North American market and enable it to compete successfully with global cosmetic giants from the US and Europe, it has turned itself into a multi-brand business. It markets other cosmetics and perfume lines such as NARS, Carita, and Jean-Paul Gaultier, while capitalizing on the Shiseido brand’s solid image.
“Fortunately, we have good brand power for Shiseido in the Canadian market,” says Shiseido Canada president and CEO Toshitada Hori. Known for high quality line of skin care and beauty products, Shiseido strengthens its reputation in Canada with a unique one-on-one approach to the market that has earned the company a slot in the top five players in local industry. To celebrate its 10th anniversary in the country last year and accommodate continuous growth, Shiseido Canada moved into its new bigger headquarters in Markham, just north of Toronto.
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 Shiseido's display counter at one of Ontario's leading department stores |
“We offer highly personalized consultation and beauty planning and conduct constant conversations with our customers at the Shiseido Beauty Institute,” says Hori. Located in Toronto, the institute is not a retail outlet, as every service is free of charge. The customer calls to book a reservation for sun, hair, and skin care services.
“We try to create a relationship with our customers so that when they are happy with our products they will spread the word to people around them. The idea is to create a human network of customers loyal to the Shiseido brand,” Hori explains.
He is also trying to create a synergy among Shiseido’s brands in Canada through open communication between Shiseido HQ in Tokyo and subsidiaries around the world: “I am fortunate to have a staff here in Canada that is open, honest, communicative and hard-working. I consider them to be some of our greatest assets.”
“We want everybody to know we are in Canada,” he says. “We will make an impact on the market and we will do it in the distinct Shiseido way.”
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 Shiseido Canada President and CEO Toshitada Hori |
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