Procter & Gamble may widen the scope on men’s grooming

NEW YORK With the Gillette brand in its fold, Procter & Gamble has had the male shopper in its sights for some time, but it appears that the Male Grooming Zone area at the recent NACDS Annual meeting may have been a glimpse into a major aspect of the manufacturer’s marketing strategy in beauty and grooming — a much greater focus on men.

At the NACDS Annual meeting in April in West Palm Beach, Fla., P&G set up a Male Grooming Zone area where men could get pampered with Gillette products.

According to an internal P&G company memo obtained and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, P&G is looking to restructure the unit to place a greater emphasis on men and could develop new products for high-end retailers, salons and spas.

According to the WSJ, the memo, circulated to P&G staff last week, states that the company will reorient its beauty business by gender to “better serve Him or Her,” rather than its typical organization around product categories.

“Our principal beauty focus has been winning with women, yet we’re not broadly serving male consumers’ needs outside of Gillette and fine fragrances,” Ed Shirley, P&G’s vice chairman of global beauty and grooming, wrote in the memo, the WSJ reported. The new structure is expected to take effect July 1.

Furthermore, the memo suggests that the manufacturer may launch upscale shaving products to be sold in “prestige and luxury” outlets, the WSJ reported.

In addition, P&G is mulling an expansion into professional salons that could include “skin care, cosmetics and fragrances,” the memo states, according to the WSJ.