Page 28 - Sphere No.10 (Dec 2003)

SPHERE
26
he adds.“Things move at speed here and its amazing how quick-
ly you can make things happen — from sourcing a product to
building a store.”
Without question, ASW’s growth into a global health & beau-
ty powerhouse brings economies of scale, the benefits of a glob-
al sourcing operation, a bigger, more experienced management
team and pooled industry knowledge from around the world.
With each division in tune with its unique set of challenges, the
company’s ambitious growth targets are inching into view.
“There is no reason why our organisation in all three parts
of the world (Asia, the UK, Continental Europe) should not
grow spectacularly in the coming years,” says Continental
Europe’s Mr Siebrand.
He stresses the need for a flexible management style to cope
with the growth consequences as well as extra effort all round to
train good people.
ASW plans to open about 160 new stores in 2004. It is also
scanning the horizon for suitable acquisitions and looking at
markets ranging from Australia and Indonesia to Vietnam and
India, and eventually as far afield as Africa.
“The health & beauty category still has considerable mileage,”
Mr Wade believes. “There is lots of room for growth in the cate-
gories that fill our stores. People want to look good. The only
danger in getting too big is if you can’t manage it.”
For now, the health & beauty business is no beast for ASW.
As it moves towards becoming the world’s biggest retailer in the
category, the company is enjoying healthy growth — and man-
aging beautifully.
C O V E R S T O R Y
Rossmann Central Europe operates more than 240 stores in Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. It is a 50:50 joint venture between A.S.
Watson and the German health & beauty chain Rossmann.The chain has seen impressive growth since beginning operations after the borders between
East andWest Europe were opened a decade ago.The blend of Rossmann entrepreneurship and Kruidvat store concept has proved a winning formula.
10 million customers per week ...