vestige verdant business plan 2018 · plan of vestige verdant with the aim of obtaining at least 1%...

13
COMPANY INFO Who are we? VESTIGE VERDANT is an Estonian based fast expanding international personal care brand. Today, our products are sold in Estonia, Germany, Austria, Great Britain and via direct online sales globally to Australia, New Zealand and USA. With the gross earnings of our products topping 800.000 since launching the brand in the final days of 2013 The core strength of VESTIGE VERDANT is on one hand making superior skin care products and on the other (and more importantly) immersing these products in a coherent, strong and sustainably built brand. With this in mind we are able to offer products that are organic and natural in essence and timeless, elegant and luxurious in image. We enjoy a sustainable 47% sales retention rate and a significantly above average positive social media sentiment. The reason for this is that our products meet and exceed our promises, values that we carry and expectations that our customers set upon us. Where are we? In Estonia (our domestic market), we are listed by all relevant retailers - both B&M and online. In Germany we are listed at douglas.de and flaconi.de in addition to a few boutique stores. In Great Britain we are listed at lovelula.com - a leading organic retailer. We are also listed with a key online retailer covering Scandinavia. Our product line-up is expanding, the products are developed by leading professionals and our retailer portfolio is growing monthly. We are able to create products and a brand that is more compelling and desirable for the end consumer than most competing brands. We back this claim up with more than two dozen awards and media mentions by leading magazines in the industry. Our concept has been tested in various markets and proven effective. Important indication of the success potential on a global scale is the social media sentiment index, where our positive mentions near 60%. In comparison, the market average positive result is a 25% positive social media sentiment.* industry average positive result VESTIGE VERDANT result* *Based on SentiOne algorithms, dated November 2018 This data provides us with the insight that we have developed the brand in a way that it’s attractive to the consumer and what we need to do now is to scale up the exposure, which will result in a larger market share and significantly increased revenues. 1

Upload: others

Post on 22-Apr-2020

6 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: VESTIGE VERDANT BUSINESS PLAN 2018 · plan of VESTIGE VERDANT with the aim of obtaining at least 1% market share in the global luxury-beauty segment in the next 15 years. We target

COMPANY INFO Who are we?

VESTIGE VERDANT is an Estonian based fast expanding international personal care brand. Today, our products are sold in Estonia, Germany, Austria, Great Britain and via direct online sales globally to Australia, New Zealand and USA. With the gross earnings of our products topping €800.000 since launching the brand in the final days of 2013

The core strength of VESTIGE VERDANT is on one hand making superior skin care products and on the other (and more importantly) immersing these products in a coherent, strong and sustainably built brand. With this in mind we are able to offer products that are organic and natural in essence and timeless, elegant and luxurious in image. We enjoy a sustainable 47% sales retention rate and a significantly above average positive social media sentiment. The reason for this is that our products meet and exceed our promises, values that we carry and expectations that our customers set upon us.

Where are we?

In Estonia (our domestic market), we are listed by all relevant retailers - both B&M and online. In Germany we are listed at douglas.de and flaconi.de in addition to a few boutique stores. In Great Britain we are listed at lovelula.com - a leading organic retailer. We are also listed with a key online retailer covering Scandinavia. Our product line-up is expanding, the products are developed by leading professionals and our retailer portfolio is growing monthly.

We are able to create products and a brand that is more compelling and desirable for the end consumer than most competing brands. We back this claim up with more than two dozen awards and media mentions by leading magazines in the industry.

Our concept has been tested in various markets and proven effective. Important indication of the success potential on a global scale is the social media sentiment index, where our positive mentions near 60%. In comparison, the market average positive result is a 25% positive social media sentiment.*

industry average positive result VESTIGE VERDANT result*

*Based on SentiOne algorithms, dated November 2018

This data provides us with the insight that we have developed the brand in a way that it’s attractive to the consumer and what we need to do now is to scale up the exposure, which will result in a larger market share and significantly increased revenues.

�1

Page 2: VESTIGE VERDANT BUSINESS PLAN 2018 · plan of VESTIGE VERDANT with the aim of obtaining at least 1% market share in the global luxury-beauty segment in the next 15 years. We target

WHERE ARE WE HEADED?

Foreign markets

We are preparing to enter Japan in early 2019 with a distribution agreement in place and with market entry costs covered by the distributor; We are in process of entering Russia, with a distribution agreement in place, products registered for the Russian market and an active listing in the GoldApple retail chain. We have a contract with one of the leading agencies for brand entry & brand building in USA (TLK Fusion). They have a multitude of success stories in their portfolio and they work with A-list celebrity brands daily (Jenner, Kardashian etc.). We have a functioning strategy of diversifying and expanding our distribution network monthly. With additional capital we aim to significantly increase marketing volume to boost revenue speed and volume for all our retailers.

Product line-up

We enrich our product line-up continuously with new items and by improving existing items through iteration. As well as vertical development, we also evolve horizontally. This means VESTIGE VERDANT brand was founded with diversification in mind and our next key step is to diversify into the organic parfum industry. This is important not only to improve and diversify revenue sources but also to be able to sustainably offer strong competition to the biggest brands on the market.

Brand development

We will grow both the volume of marketing and the depth and grasp of our content and advertising, with the aim of being able to deliver significantly stronger strategic competition through a richer narrative and broader omni-channel communication.

Our aim is to grow VESTIGE VERDANT into a globally recognised, revered and lived icon in the luxury-organic industry that has a strong presence in all the relevant selling points, airports and in the luxury segment in general. We aim to do so by staying loyal to the core values that have carried us thus far, by holding organic, sustainability and naturalness in high regard and by sharing said values strategically on a global arena. Our longer aim is to align the development plan of VESTIGE VERDANT with the aim of obtaining at least 1% market share in the global luxury-beauty segment in the next 15 years.

We target a €5.000.000 revenue by 2023. Considering the preliminary organic feedback from USA, Singapore, Russia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and Italy, we feel confident that not only are we able to reach this revenue target, but we intend to exceed it significantly. In addition to the customer feedback, VESTIGE VERDANT as a brand and concept is in perfect alignment with all currently relevant and projected market trends.

�2

Page 3: VESTIGE VERDANT BUSINESS PLAN 2018 · plan of VESTIGE VERDANT with the aim of obtaining at least 1% market share in the global luxury-beauty segment in the next 15 years. We target

PROBLEM & SOLUTION

PROBLEM

Regardless of the fact that the market is saturated with countless beauty products and brands, there is a deepening crisis in the beauty industry as a result of the following:

• Shift in generations: Millennials and Gen Z make up most of the target audience, they want new and fresh brands and they don’t care so much about the provenance of the old brands - this is reflected across industries and this trend is increasing yearly.

• Old brands struggle with creating relevant and fresh content in communication: Old brands are not as compelling to the relevant buyer as they used to be. Weak in strategic communication and image, increasingly dull and boring.

• The shift in generations is our strength: new generations view our brand and products as new and fresh, resulting in interest to try the products.

• Exponential growth in demand for quality: Relevant target audiences of today are exponentially more aware and thus demand more quality of the products they purchase.

• Increasingly more informed, bigger focus on health and sustainability: Healthy, clean and sustainable products are gaining more market share because the demand is increasing. Relevant retailers are more conscious.

• Small amount of brands with equal focus and value proposition for sustainability, health and timeless elegance: Today, most organic and natural brands are rustic in image and unable to satisfy the higher needs of the consumer - the need for modern elegance and desirability akin to the wealthy and upper-middle class.

• More demand for a better value proposition: More than half of the consumers sense a growing misalignment between price and value.

• Radical shift in the consumer values: The thought paradigm if health, nature and naturalness, as well as luxury is changing.

• Organic and natural products often lack in quality: Many organic and natural products are not as organic and natural as they depict, use low quality cheap ingredients or just lack in effect - have poor quality formulas, resulting in empty promises for the consumer.

SOLUTION

VESTIGE VERDANT is designed to solve all aforementioned problems:

• The shift in generations is our strength: new generations view our brand and products as new and fresh, resulting in interest to try the products.

�3

Page 4: VESTIGE VERDANT BUSINESS PLAN 2018 · plan of VESTIGE VERDANT with the aim of obtaining at least 1% market share in the global luxury-beauty segment in the next 15 years. We target

• We are relevant today and looking into the future: We offer a sustainably compelling narrative and communication between our brand and the consumers.

• Top quality: We deliver consistent quality and transparent formulations.

• Emphasis on clean health and nature: We are focused on healthy, organic, sustainable and cruelty free manufacturing.

• Brand defined by healthy living, modern and elegance: We successfully carry organic and healthy lifestyle in unison with timeless modern elegance.

• Clear and transparent relationship between the price and quality of our products.

• Affirmation to modern value systems: We affirm and develop the modern understanding of clean and healthy living, naturalness and desirability.

• Highest quality ingredients: Our products are made using only the best ingredients available, leading manufacturing solutions and specialists - designed to guarantee the best possible value proposition for the consumer.

MARKET AND COMPETITION

For us, making superior products is a prerequisite, but our main competitive advantage comes from our ability to build the brand into an internationally recognised icon in the luxury beauty industry. We offer an image of a certain life and values and through our brand communication and products, we are able to provide our customers with a piece of the desired lifestyle. Our edge is that we are able to communicate this better than our competition. This is reflected in what we have achieved with very modest marketing budgets and our current social sentiment index. Today as customers buy emotion through brands and products, it is more vital than ever.

Market & Consumer behaviour

(Based on EY global market research on luxury beauty products)

• The global luxury beauty market is €49 billion.

• The market is projected to grow to €57 billion in the next 4 years.

• 33% of consumers expect to increase their expenditure on beauty products.

• 51% of consumers feel a growing misalignment between the price and value of products.

• 62% of consumers are digitally influenced (they follow social media, blogs and online influencers when making purchasing decisions).

�4

Page 5: VESTIGE VERDANT BUSINESS PLAN 2018 · plan of VESTIGE VERDANT with the aim of obtaining at least 1% market share in the global luxury-beauty segment in the next 15 years. We target

• 63% of consumers expect an omni-channel experience (meaning that they want to interact with their brands using social media - in addition to conventional mediums).

• 74% of consumers use social media daily.

Natural and organic beauty products market share in Germany is €1,2 billion. Making Germany the single most relevant market in Europe. In comparison, the rest of Europe amount up to €800 million. This is the key reason why Germany is a priority market for us. The biggest market is Asia, which is why entering Japan is strategically important for us.

PRODUCT AND SERVICE DESCRIPTION

VESTIGE VERDANT is a organic-luxury brand that creates 100% healthy, organic and natural beauty products, designed for the metropolitan environment where fast paced living and pollution are a part of everyday life; where taking care of your skin is paramount to keeping it fresh, healthy and radiant.

Our aim is to build the VESTIGE VERDANT brand into a true international icon of natural timeless elegance. We believe that truly effective premium skin care products must have health benefits in addition to beauty benefits. This is why we do not use questionable ingredients, why we create our formulas to deliver the most desirable benefits and why we constantly monitor customer feedback and iterate our products accordingly.

We believe that the quintessence of luxury is to care for all the choices we make considering our health, beauty and well being. This is the reason why we use only the finest grade ingredients, work with the best minds in the industry and at the best facilities.

We take pride in our exceptional customer service, which is one of the reasons behind our high (47%) sales retention rate and our extremely high positive social sentiment. During our history of direct online sales, we have had one return in the amount of €39.

WHAT SETS US APART FROM THE COMPETITION

Most skin care brands by and large fall into one of two categories - either the “pharmaceutical” category, where the focus is solely on the product and technical solution but the effect and branding are shallow OR the “fashion brand” category, whose core business is fashion, clothes, accessories and who also make skin care and beauty products. This ultimately leads to a wide and diversified brand, but an insignificant product.

Our concept is to tie these two seemingly apart worlds together. The ingredients, method of production and overall effectiveness of our products is superior to that of products at a higher price range let alone of the same price range yet our brand delivers a clearer, more concise, interesting and compelling narrative and visual communication - this is reflected in the packages we use, design we implement and the overall style of our advertising.

�5

Page 6: VESTIGE VERDANT BUSINESS PLAN 2018 · plan of VESTIGE VERDANT with the aim of obtaining at least 1% market share in the global luxury-beauty segment in the next 15 years. We target

Proof of the success and sustainability of our concept is reflected in the awards we have received and keep on receiving, customer/influencer/blogger feedback, sales retention rate and positive social sentiment.

VESTIGE VERDANT delivers premium quality products to customers who value top tier quality at a significantly more attractive price point than that of the competition with equally desirable brand/products.

VALUE CHAIN

The VESTIGE VERDANT value chain is similar to most companies in the industry except for one significant difference - we never stop developing our products, even already launched ones. We launch a product that is designed based on the latest data available regarding customer expectations and we do our best to anticipate their expectations for the future, we spend a lot of time fine tuning the formula and making sure the product is in alignment with our core values and after making the product public we monitor the customer feedback. If and when we identify an existing need our product could service better, we iterate and manufacture the next batch to satisfy the most desired need. Perfection is not stagnant, it is dynamic and evolving in time due to beauty standards and prevailing relevant customer mindset and mentality. This results in a cyclical value chain instead of a conventional linear model.

TEAM

Roone Roost - Founder and CEO. Responsible for strategy, business development, management, strategic partnerships, building the perfect distribution network (with the team) and running the business daily. Academic background in marketing and brand building. Roone has done extensive consulting for many leading companies in Estonia on the subject of brand building and sales strategy. He has been an entrepreneur for the past 10 years, 7 of which involved with VESTIGE VERDANT - from idea to fruition.

�6

Page 7: VESTIGE VERDANT BUSINESS PLAN 2018 · plan of VESTIGE VERDANT with the aim of obtaining at least 1% market share in the global luxury-beauty segment in the next 15 years. We target

Marek Tabur - Creative and image director. Responsible for the sustainable branding strategy, quality advertising and marketing of VESTIGE VERDANT since 2014. Academic background in marketing and brand building. He has worked in numerous ad agencies as a creative director for almost 10 years and he has done consulting work in strategic communication and brand building for many companies.

Triin Aru - Sales project manager. Triin adds value in both sales and customer service. Due to her decades long expertise in cosmetology, she is able to provide fast and relevant feedback to all questions our customers may have regarding to their skin issues or how our products may help them.

Madis Põldsaar - Designer. An awarded designer, responsible for designing our packaging and advertisements.

Tenno Parmas - Legal. Member of the Bar association, active as an attorney at law. His legal expertise helps us mitigate risk legally, keep us up to date with all relevant legal requirements and navigate contracts and regulations.

ADVISORS

Michael Kopac - Partner at the Kadereit Consulting Group. Michael is Roone’s business coach, and a very valuable strategic advisor. Michael has a more than 15 year long experience in owning and running a multi million euro company servicing clients such as Lufthansa, Shell, Aldi and others of this scale. Michael brings to the table his vast business network, expertise and valuable advice in building our long term strategies.

Orsina Schullner - An executive at the Berlin office of Saatci&Saatchi PR agency. She is a communication specialist consulting us in the German market.

Ken Collis - Head of TLK Fusion. An agency based in the US that caters to A-List star brands. His expertise is market penetration and distribution strategy in USA.

Gianfranco Carlo - Product development specialist. His main area of expertise is face creams and he is responsible for developing the day and night creams for VESTIGE VERDANT

Oliver Felstead - Product development specialist. His main area of expertise is organic oils and he is responsible for developing the RARE OIL BLEND and INFINITY EYE SERUM for VESTIGE VERDANT

Dr. Hans Orru & Dr. Mall Orru - Leading specialists in balneological peat (Sphagnum Peat Moss). They are the foremost experts in the world when it comes to this substance (which we use in our ORGANIC PEAT MASK) and their more than 15 year long research is what made this product possible.

Paul Nevin - Market entry specialist in global travel-retail. His business network and skill to intermediate enable us to smooth out the learning curve and spare years in developing the business.

�7

Page 8: VESTIGE VERDANT BUSINESS PLAN 2018 · plan of VESTIGE VERDANT with the aim of obtaining at least 1% market share in the global luxury-beauty segment in the next 15 years. We target

ACHIEVMENTS

I. Leading position in our segment in our domestic market (Estonia)

II. Listing at douglas.de and flaconi.de (the most relevant retailers in Germany today)

III. Listing at lovelula.com (Great Britain)

IV. Listing at bangerhead.com (Sweden, Norway, Finland)

V. Listing at noorbeautyshop.com (Italy)

VI. Agreement with a local distributor represented by Naoyuki Matsumura for entering Japan 1H 2019

VII. Confirmed listing in the GoldApple store chain in Russia

VIII.Active online direct sales in USA, Australia and New Zealand

IX. More than two dozen awards

X. Leading media endorsements on an international level (VOGUE, Cosmopolitan, Petra, GALA, Madame and others)

XI. GALA SPA AWARDS nomination

XII. Extremely positive social media sentiment (56,74%)

XIII.TLK Fusion partnership with the aim of penetrating the US market

RESULTS

XIV. Sales retention rate 47%+

XV. Conversion Rate higher than 3%

XVI. More than €800.000 worth of products sold in less than 4 years

XVII. Growing sales

XVIII.Growing retailer portfolio

XIX.AA credit rating by Bisnode rating agency

�8

Page 9: VESTIGE VERDANT BUSINESS PLAN 2018 · plan of VESTIGE VERDANT with the aim of obtaining at least 1% market share in the global luxury-beauty segment in the next 15 years. We target

VALUATION

The current value of VESTIGE VERDANT is calculated taking into consideration:

I. The replacement value of the brand considering investments needed to achieve similar feedback of influencers, media mentions and endorsements (without the time factor)

II. The sales retention percentage

III. Social media sentiment index

IV. CTR & Conversion rate

V. Client portfolio value

VI. Potential sales based on revenue trend and existing retailer portfolio and agreements for new markets

VII. How leveraged the company currently is

VIII.CGS

IX. Operating costs

Taking into consideration the aforementioned and by applying the traditional valuation models for calculating brand value and client list value, we value VESTIGE VERDANT at €1,5 million.

ALLOCATION AND TIMEFRAME

Uses of funds

Capital we aim to raise will provide us with the opportunity to engage in larger volumes of marketing and advertising with the aim of reaching more customers and to elevate stock volumes to service the growing demand.

We have received enough reassurance about the relevance and interest of the brand in the mind of the consumer as well as to the effectiveness and superior quality of the products we offer.

We are ready to take the brand and the business to the next level.

�9

Page 10: VESTIGE VERDANT BUSINESS PLAN 2018 · plan of VESTIGE VERDANT with the aim of obtaining at least 1% market share in the global luxury-beauty segment in the next 15 years. We target

Taking VESTIGE VERDANT to the next level entails the following activities:

• Marketing support for relevant retailers (Douglas, Flaconi, Lovelula, Bangerhead) with the aim of elevating revenue speed and volumes. Heavy focus on Douglas, because we aim to be in all of their 1900 stores across Europe by 2022.

• Amplifying marketing activities in our own channels with the aim of increasing brand exposure, strengthening top of mind and as a result increasing revenues.

• Growing and developing the brand narrative and reach with more advertising and quality content.

• Key personnel hires (international sales experts and marketing specialists). Increasing stock volume to service the growing demand.

• Starting the project of diversifying VESTIGE VERDANT into the organic parfum industry. Launching US sales and starting market penetration.

Sources of funds

The capital needed to finance the next stage of VESTIGE VERDANT is €500.000. We plan to finance it from sales revenue and raising capital from investors.

ALLOCATION

27% - increasing stock volumes

33% - increasing marketing volume*

33% - key personnel hires

7% - developing organic parfum prototypes

*Marketing budget will be significantly higher, because it will be funded first and foremost from sales revenue. This capital is used to jumpstart sales to the optimal level considering our current retailer portfolio.

�10

Page 11: VESTIGE VERDANT BUSINESS PLAN 2018 · plan of VESTIGE VERDANT with the aim of obtaining at least 1% market share in the global luxury-beauty segment in the next 15 years. We target

TIMEFRAME

I. Market Activation in Germany 2H 2019

II. Market Activation in Japan 2H 2019

III. Market entry Russia 1H 2019

IV. Market Activation in Great Britain 1H 2019

V. Relevant sales in Italy 2H 2019 Organic Parfum prototypes 2H 2019

We exist in a dynamic market, therefore it is not sensible to look beyond 2019 for immediate goals. Long term goals are presented in relevant paragraphs of this document.

RESULT/OUTCOME OF THE INVESTMENT

Capital raised will increase sales revenues in terms of volume and speed on all markets and channels we operate in. It will enable us to be more effective in sales (increasing retailer portfolio on all markets and enter new ones); increase marketing and sales volumes B2C via direct online sales, widen our product line-up in skin care and develop top-tier organic parfums.

Considering that we already have a well performing brand, proven effective and awarded products and a very good existing distribution network alongside with agreements to enter new and very relevant markets we need capital for three fundamental purposes:

I. Increase stock volumes

II. Key personnel hires (marketing and sales positions)

III. Increase marketing volumes (to increase sales revenue and social media presence and brand exposure globally)

The outcome of executing the next stage of development is to have at least €5 million in sales revenue by 2023 and a significantly elevated brand value.

RISKS AND MITIGATION

�11

Page 12: VESTIGE VERDANT BUSINESS PLAN 2018 · plan of VESTIGE VERDANT with the aim of obtaining at least 1% market share in the global luxury-beauty segment in the next 15 years. We target

• Recession or severe economic downturn - the beauty industry has historically been inert to recessions. Considering our value proposition, we are confident that we would gain customers who previously used more expensive products. In a shifting economic environment, people tend to be more focused on getting better value for money, which VESTIGE VERDANT is more than able to deliver.

• Problems with sourcing ingredients - We have had that issue in 2016 and as a result we now have 3 partnering companies that are able to provide us with the ingredients needed. The likelihood of all 3 falling off is unlikely.

• Faulty packaging, issues with the product - Over the course of our years on the market, we have had issues with packaging. We have resolved these issues with open, honest and fast communication with our customers and have replaced the faulty products immediately. This has in our experience translated into a higher sales retention rate, more satisfied customers and as a result higher value customers (since they purchase not only for themselves but also for gifts to others).

• Distributor goes insolvent - We had a distributor for Germany in 2016 who went insolvent 6 months into the cooperation. As we are heavily focused on building our direct online sales as well, we will always be able to have a source of income that meets our needs for operating and provide us with enough capital to have the time to recover from such events.

• Drastically decreasing sales - As we shifted our focus from domestic to international and as we reinvented the brand and had next to no marketing budget, we faced this issue in 2016 to 2017. By keeping a close eye on CGS and maintaining sensible operating costs as well as outsourcing necessary services, we are able navigate even the most difficult circumstances while maintaining the forward momentum of the brand.

HISTORICAL TIMELINE

2014

�12

Page 13: VESTIGE VERDANT BUSINESS PLAN 2018 · plan of VESTIGE VERDANT with the aim of obtaining at least 1% market share in the global luxury-beauty segment in the next 15 years. We target

VESTIGE VERDANT achieved market activation in its domestic market - Estonia, we had one product, the facial mask. Revenue by end of year one was €140.000

2015

We added 2 additional products to our line-up and were still heavily focused on domestic sales. It became apparent that we had reached the top of our domestic market and we had two choices - either to be heavily invested in maintaining our position and sales in an irrelevant

market or to risk and divert our domestic marketing budget into growing the brand internationally. Since VESTIGE VERDANT was founded with the aim of being a global brand, we decided on the latter.

2016

Focus was shifted from marketing in Estonia to product R&D, revamping the brand for the international premium market and building a sustainable high quality international distribution network. This resulted in dropping sales revenue - a painful yet necessary sacrifice we made.

2017

Change of ownership structure, restructuring and steering the company to the path of being an international icon. The legal entity VESTIGE VERDANT LLC (OÜ) was founded to service our international growth and ambitions. Core focus was in building a network of advisors and sales channels in Germany, Asia and North America (USA).

2018

The rebirth of VESTIGE VERDANT is complete, we are increasing sales on all markets we operate in; Price shock on our domestic market is overcome and we see more and more old customers returning. We have a very good retailer- and business network in place in addition to key partnerships in Japan, USA and Russia and are currently seeking funds to fuel the forward momentum of the brand.

2019 and onwards

With the VESTIGE VERDANT brand revamped, product line-up positioned to be in perfect alignment with the customer expectations, our distribution network in effect and sufficient marketing budget as well as initiating sales in Japan, Russia, Italy and USA, we conservatively project to hit the €1,3 million revenue mark by the end of 2019 and to surpass the €5 million revenue mark by 2023.

�13