PROFILE KATIE BARNES » MANAGING EDITOR » SPA BUSINESS
{ we work together } Mike Indursky
The new faces behind Bliss World Holdings explain their ambitions to grow the brand’s spas and product ranges globally
I
n January 2010, Steiner Leisure Ltd acquired Bliss World Holdings (Bliss) – comprising the Bliss and Remède spa facilities and product lines – from Starwood Hotels and
Resorts for us$100m (€72.3m, £63.6m). T ere are currently 21 Bliss Spas and 10 Remède Spas, the majority operating under a pre- ferred partner agreement with Starwood’s W and St Regis hotels, respectively (see SB10/3 p24). Both Bliss and Remède also have pro- fessional and retail product lines which are sold through spas, via e-commerce, in bou- tiques, department and speciality stores and on TV shopping channels. Steiner, already one of the biggest spa com-
panies globally (see SB04/Q2 p58), operates 130 spas on its cruise ships, plus 70 Mandara, four Chavana and two-branded Elemis spa facilities. Elemis, Steiner’s principle product line, turned over £65m (us$102.2m, €73.9m) in 2010 – its best year to date. T is March, Mike Indursky was appointed
president of Bliss. Indursky has 20 years of experience in a broad range of aspects in the personal care industry and most recently worked for Burt’s Bees Inc as chief marketing and strategic offi cer. Séan Harrington, one of the founders of Elemis, took on the respon- sibility for Bliss in the UK in June 2010. So, just what do their posts involve, how
are they integrating the two businesses and what exciting things can we expect from them in the future?
& Séan Harrington
Indursky (leſt ) and Harrington (right) are the driving forces behind Bliss’ rollout outside the US
How did the opportunity to join Bliss present itself? Mike Indursky (MI): It was wonderfully serendipitous – I had just fi nished my con- tract at Burt’s Bees in North Carolina and wanted to go back to New York where I grew up (which is where Bliss is based). I wanted to stay in the beauty business, but work in a fast-moving environment where I could use my entrepreneurial and creative skills and really roll my sleeves up. I got a call from Bliss and the role met my every criteria. Not long aſt er I joined, it was recognised
that we needed someone to head up the UK side of the business. While Bliss was strong in the US, in the UK it wasn’t performing so well, despite high demand for the product. We needed to reinforce the infrastructure. Séan [Harrington] is such a powerful per- son in the UK and Elemis has such a strong infrastructure there that it made sense to use him and his resources.
58 Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital
What are your responsibilities? MI: To manage the company towards long- term profi table growth; and to set a vision and put together an organisational structure to help it realise its full potential. Séan Harrington (SH): I’m here to run Bliss in the UK. Over the last 20 years, I’ve built up a team and infrastructure to deliver Elemis in the UK and worldwide. I’ll be using my team, network and contacts in the UK to now promote Bliss. T e aim is to also leverage Elemis distributors and accounts internationally for Bliss where appropriate.
How would you describe the Bliss brand? SH: Bliss isn’t a new brand: it was created in the mid-90s by Marcia Kilgore, who is a genius in the world of marketing (see SB06/3 p103). She brought great energy to the brand and came up with something that has a fun, unique edge.
SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010
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