CHICAGO and ORLANDO, Fla., March 3, 2008 – Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) and The NPD Group, Inc. today announced that they are partnering to launch the Beauty Cross Channel Monitor, the U.S. beauty industry’s first and only cross-channel, retail tracking product. The Beauty Cross Channel Monitor will provide insights for a wide range of beauty categories, including fragrance, cosmetics and skincare, from U.S. department stores, food, drug and mass outlets, excluding Wal-Mart®. This new product is planned for a March 2008 launch.
“The lack of beauty industry coverage has made it difficult to understand the size of the total beauty sales opportunity,” says Steve Johnson, executive vice president, Healthcare & Personal Care, Client Solutions, IRI. “Our partnership with The NPD Group is such a winning combination, because it brings our clients the only total view of the beauty industry, which is desperately needed.”
The new Beauty Cross Channel Monitor will give the beauty industry a broader understanding of market share for brands, categories and segments. Additionally, it will provide a valuable resource to help discover what is driving trends in the U.S. beauty industry. For the fragrance category, the tracking product will cover juices, gift sets and ancillaries. Under cosmetics, insights for eye, face, lip, nail and sets/kits will be available. Finally, body, face, sets/kits, hair care and sun care will be available in the skin care category.
“The beauty consumer is evolving and it is critical to have objective information that crosses multiple channels. The new Beauty Cross Channel Monitor is that information. It is indispensable for understanding what is selling, where, why, and at what prices,” says Diane Nicholson, president, Beauty, The NPD Group, Inc. ”This new product provides a wider view of the beauty marketplace enabling our clients to make the best decisions for their businesses.”
This is the first time that there has been a combination of these channels in the U.S., giving the industry the most complete and comprehensive view of the beauty marketplace in a streamlined and timely manner. Similarly, IRI and NPD have joined IMS to offer a more complete view of the beauty marketplace in France. The Multi-Outlet Beauty Study offers information on all distribution outlets in France: supermarkets, pharmacies, cosmetic, and fragrance stores.
About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,600 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information, contact us or visit http://www.npd.com/.
About Information Resources, Inc.
Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) is the world’s leading global provider of consumer, shopper, and retail market intelligence and insights, empowering consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail, and healthcare companies to grow their business profitably in a complex marketplace. Driving breakthrough growth in the industries it serves, the company’s portfolio of services, solutions, and technology enable leading retailers and their suppliers around the globe to see what they are missing, act faster with greater confidence, and win at the shelf. Ninety-five percent of the FORTUNE Global 500 in CPG and retail leverage IRI to power their business. For more information, visit: www.infores.com.
# # #
IRI CONTACTS:
John McIndoe
E-mail: john.mcindoe@infores.com
Phone: (312) 474-3862
Fax: (312) 474-2512
Shelley Hughes
E-mail: shelley.hughes@infores.com
Phone: (312) 474-3675
Fax: (312) 474-2512
NPD CONTACTS:
Cristina Hilsenrath
Email: cristina_hilsenrath@npd.com
Phone: 516-382-4849
Beth Boyle
Email: beth_boyle@npd.com
Phone: (516) 625-4603
Fax: (516) 625-2389