Mastermind - Mr Mohamed Madi shares his masterplan and tells us why is it important to visit beauty exhibitions
At the helm of one of the most successful beauty businesses in the GCC, Mr Mohamed Madi, group president of Madi International, shares his master plan
How did Madi International begin?
It all began in 1991 and a few years prior to this I was selling products to salons in Kuwait with my brother. We started with less than 10 people in the company and at this time the salon industry hadn’t really developed, I saw a great opportunity to help the salons that were starting out and this is how Madi started.
How did you decide what brands to bring to the GCC?
I started to look for brands mainly from Italy, France and Germany. We started with very small brands, most of them with a private label. Then we moved on to importing accessories for the industry – scissors, brushes, hairpins, hairdryers – all of which are salon essentials.
The idea is that Madi is able to cater for all new salons. We have teams that can consult and advise on all aspects of salon business from where to install a backwash, to the type of gowns they should offer.
Tell us about your major brands
Our major haircare brand is Goldwell which we have been distributing for two years. We also have another Italian hair brand called Kemon, it’s a good brand with a big portfolio. Nashi is another top hair brand, which is the number one Argan-oil based brand and is perfect for this region. Moving to skincare, we offer a high end marine-brand, Thalgo, which we have been working with for the last 10 years. For nails, we carry the LCN range which we have had for 12 years and newly launched in the last few months is the Entity nail brand, which I see huge potential in. As well as hair, skin and nails we
also offer equipment lines such as Quattro for electrical appliances, hairdryers and straightening irons. It is our aim to be the number one destination for professionals.
How do you select the right brands to carry?
We have a commercial team that goes to the market to find out what customers like and what they are asking for. Brand selection is easier nowadays as we can attend exhibitions like Professional Beauty GCC and do research. Now we are so well-known in this industry, lots of brands contact us first. It can take from six months up to a year to decide on a brand.
How do you support your salons?
We categorise salons as class A, B and C. Class A salons are at the premium end. They want top brands that are world-recognised and often owned by multi-national companies. They require very good training and support, such as trips to Europe to view the industry trends there. Class B salons are also looking for high-quality brands but are more sensitive to the price issue. They require good training but not as much as class A. Class C salons are usually even more price sensitive. They want good products but are mainly swayed by prices.
Which category salon do you have most of?
The bulk of our business is with the class B salons, followed by class A. However, we believe in education and training for all salons. We invest in this because we believe that even if you have the best products, if you don’t train people on how to use them, they’re wasted. Customer service is very important to us.
What are your plans for 2017?
Over the years, the beauty industry is developing digitally so, this year, we are we are focusing on all things digital by upgrading our SOP systems, our website, and we are launching a new online platform which will allow our customers to order their stock online. We want to encourage our customers to place orders online so we are incentivising them with discounts when booking online. We are also focusing on building up a new export department as our own brands are growing in other regions – I need an export team to help grow the awareness of our own Madi ranges. Another ambition of mine is to get a Middle East Goldwell team to perform at the annual Goldwell shows which take place globally.
Why is it important for salon and spa owners to aend exhibitions like Professional Beauty?
It’s important to test, touch and feel products and to meet the suppliers on a personal level – this helps to build relationships. Even though we operate in a digital age, I think it’s still important to network at events like Professional Beauty.
Madi International will be bringing brands Goldwell, Kevin Murphy, Kemon, Thalgo, Entity, LCN, Nashi and Skeyndor to the show – visit them on stand T1
