Fresh Brands
Another harsh reality check: Diverters are looking for fresh lines to stock mass-merchandise shelves and stimulate sales. This has necessitated pursuing smaller brands, like Moroccanoil and Surface, which are still strictly professional. “My company is very new, and yet we’re already being approached by diverters who want to put our products into non-professional beauty stores,” informs Grund. “But we have a plan and destiny for our products—built on three generations of stylists and salon owners—and it only entails the professional beauty industry.”
Dovas reports the same experience. “I had a diverter approach me not more than a month ago, asking if he could take on both my Barex and Aéto lines. When I looked at him with dismay, he quickly added, ‘C’mon, don’t worry. No one will ever know.’ ‘But I would know,’ I replied. ‘I told salons 18 years ago that I would never divert my products and I’m sticking to my word.’”
