Competition in the Beauty Business Hots Up

A majority of Germany's independent perfumeries will band together in a new alliance starting July 1 in an effort to compete more effectively with market leaders Douglas, Kaufhof, and Karstadt Paroli. The new Beauty Alliance Deutschland GmbH & Co KG will encompass more than 900 locations, and a total turnover of €650 million, according to one of its main business partners, Reiner Metz. "We're not so presumptuous as to try and take away the market share from Douglas and the major department stores, but we intend to make life more difficult for them," Metz told Reuters news agency. According to Metz, the Beauty Alliance can count on a 25 percent share of the German market. Douglas, with a 35 percent share, is its strongest competitor.