Elizabeth Arden Inc. (RDEN), a manufacturer and distributor of beauty products, has won global licenses of the Justin Bieber and Nicky Minaj fragrance brands from Give Back Brands LLC.
Give Back Brands LLC is a prestige beauty company creating and marketing leading-edge beauty and fragrance brands. It partners with entertainment artists and other popular figures to create and market its products. The proceeds from Give Back Brands operations are donated to designated charities and also charity campaigns of its celebrity partners.
Justin Bieber launched his debut fragrance brand ‘Someday’ with Give Back Brands in June 2011. According to NPD (a market research firm), ‘Someday’ was ranked the #1 women’s fragrance launch of the year 2011. Next in line is Justin Bieber’s ‘Girlfriend,’ scheduled to launch this summer.
International star Nicki Minaj also has an agreement with Give Back Brands to launch her debut fragrance brand, which is scheduled to hit the shelves of prestige U.S. department stores in fall of 2012.
The acquisition of these two from Give Back Brands adds a unique dimension to Elizabeth Arden’s portfolio strategy of powerful celebrity brands.
Elizabeth Arden has a strong foothold in the musician perfume market, and many of its brands are marketed and endorsed by popular artists like Taylor Swift, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears and Hilary Duff.
The acquisition was on the heels of the buyout of the global licenses and certain related assets for the Ed Hardy, True Religion and BCBGMAXAZRIA fragrance brands from New Wave Fragrances, LLC on May 31, 2012.
The True Religion brand was introduced in October 2008 and the BCBGMAXAZRIA women’s fragrance debuted successfully in the U.S. in the fall of 2011.
The acquisition of Ed Hardy brand added perfumes like Love & Luck, Hearts & Daggers and Ed Hardy Born Wild men’s and several women’s fragrances to Elizabeth Arden’s portfolio.
The global beauty product seller expects that the acquisition will be accretive to its earnings in the first half of fiscal 2013. Earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $1.95 to $2.00 and gross margin is expected to expand by 200 to 250 basis points year over year.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2013 is $2.00 per share.
Elizabeth Arden closely competes with Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (EL) and Revlon, Inc. (REV). Currently, Elizabeth Arden carries a Zacks #2 Rank (short-term Buy rating).
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