Equity Magazine August 2017 Issue

LOCAL STAR
to us we keep our portfolio small and tight, so we are able to
dedicate ourselves to the commitment each brand needs, as
opposed to bringing anything and everything.
What field were you in before you launched your brands?
Before launching Apotheca, I was working in investment
banking in New York. Having majored in finance, the natural
move was to spend time in the financial hub of the world and
learn all that I could. In doing so, I became fascinated with
studying retail companies – analysing the steps each took to
evolve and innovate in their industry.
How long has it been operating?
Apotheca has been operating for a little more than four years
and has been growing strong ever since. We have a lot of plans
coming up, including the launch of our e-commerce site later
this year, in addition to the regional launch of new brands. We
are constantly busy and deriving new ways to get the products
that we love into the hands of our customers. Prior to launching
Apotheca, we studied the market and noticed a serious niche,
young beauty brands. While there was a demand for such
specialty brands, the market still seemed to lack diversity in
beauty. From there, Apotheca was born.
What have been your major challenges till date?
There are a range of challenges – such as legal processes and
registrations can take a lot of time, and be difficult to
complete particularly when we enter new countries. It has
often been challenging to be taken seriously in male
dominated societies. Also, hiring is always difficult, and
finding quality staff can be a challenge. Probably the largest
challenge, though, is educating the market on the importance
of skin-care being equal to that of cosmetics.
Where do you see your brand in five years?
We plan to continue to expand our brands into new territories
and retail partners. Our goal is always to ensure the growth of
our brands is in line with their philosophy. We are also very
fortunate that our brands continue to launch new and exciting
products that we can then bring to the region.
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EQUITY