Avon unveils plan to launch in Kenya

Avon Group CEO Angela Cretu announced these expansion plans ahead of the release of the release of the group’s financial results last week.

“We already have a strong presence in South Africa and in North Africa. We are excited at the prospect of expanding our operations into Kenya which is the biggest economy in the east African region. The impact of our purpose and the untapped potential for both the communities and the business is fantastic,” Cretu said.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the world’s biggest direct selling beauty company has a presence in Swaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia.

“Kenya has always been on own dream list, and like South Africa, we believe that it will serve as an important market and a gateway to other countries in the region such as Ethiopia and Rwanda. Kenya has a young population that is very tech-savvy and a growing and aspirational middle class.

“This bodes well for widespread adoption of our digital platforms for women to promote their micro enterprises, however we are keen to create a choice of how people wish to connect and market their businesses,” Cretu added.

The World Bank has projected that Kenya’s economy will rebound relatively quickly in 2021, lifting real GDP by 6.9% year on year. This is a shade more optimistic than government’s own forecast of a 6.4% growth.

Cretu said the 135-year-old company will not solely rely on the experience gleaned from venturing into other markets for the launch. “There is tremendous value that we can acquire by learning with humility from every culture that has the generosity to welcome us. There is a lot of value in our institutional memory, but every country is different, and we believe that there is a lot we can learn from each country we expand our operations into that can help us to create better value for all humanity,” she said.

Citing the findings of a United Nations study on the impact of Covid-19 outbreak on women empowerment, Cretu said the pandemic has reversed the cause for women advancement by decades, hence the fight for gender parity cannot be over emphasised.

“It is for this reason that Avon also commissioned its own study sampling 8 000 from around the world, including South Africa, and the results were startling similar to those of the United Nations. Our research found that 92% of women sampled conceded that they have felt increased pressure over the Covid-19 pandemic and that the pandemic has also led to increased feelings of doubt for over half (57%) of women as they have taken on home schooling, job and financial stresses, without being able to share their experiences.

The global campaign that we have launched known as My Story Matters is underscored by the findings of our research that have found that women find strength from hearing every day, relatable stories and sharing experiences with others. Through this campaign, which we launched ahead of International Women’s Day, we are building a global gallery for women and men to share their different stories and experiences and connect with others around the world.

We have been overwhelmed by the positive response we have received from the public, and the next step is to provide tangible support by pledging $1 for each story shared to non-governmental organisations that are fighting gender-based violence and those that are at the forefront of breast cancer awareness. This is one of the ways that we are ensuring that we leverage the power of beauty to advance the causes that resonate with women,” Cretu added.

Anyone can share their own story that documents and celebrates strength, grit and determination, from extraordinary triumphs to everyday wins. The more stories are shared, the more funds each community can raise for NGOs championing women causes.