Despite the global recession, the cosmetics and toiletries market posted a respectable 3.9% growth in sales in 2008, affirming that consumers will keep up their personal grooming and beauty habits no matter how dire the financial outlook may seem. But perhaps more important than the overall growth, the latest numbers indicate a significant shift in where consumers are shopping in nearly all of the major markets around the world. Channels that are posting declines in one market are experiencing growth in another. Marketers looking to compete on a global scale must stay ahead of the shift and examine local trends in retail patterns in order to compete in this complex market. More…
