Expansion into

France

Spotlight on

www.collcap.co.uk

Specialising in primary packaging, Collcap (www.collcap.co.uk) was formed in 1993 by managing director John McDermott. Starting out as a small company with a focus on providing caps and closures, Collcap now offers a variety of packaging products unsurpassed in the business, courtesy of an extensive global sourcing network. With an in-house design team, Collcap's services now cover creative and technical problem solving, 3D design and modelling, bespoke tooling, testing and compatibility, in addition to the sourcing of standards.

The company has garnered an impressive reputation for the development of excellent bespoke solutions. Recently, Collcap has also recently made impressive market headway with many of its standard lines. By using excellent decorating techniques, the company can offer solutions that are close to being bespoke to a different range of firms. Collcap still remains tops with international firms seeking to develop unique packaging items that attract attention on the shelf. So, what's next for for Collcap?

France!

This year, Collcap was all the rage at Make Up in Paris

The aim for Collcap at the show was to get the best exposure on the French market and demonstrate to brands that the company offers high quality packaging without simply being a trend follower. Many products stood out, including Cushion Airtight Compacts, the new range of Loose Powder packs, and some of Collcap's most stunning bespoke packs, to name a few.

Although Collcap has exhibited in France before, it was the company's first time at Make Up in Paris, and it's very likely not to be the last.

We were lucky enough to be able to chat with Guillaume Bichon, Collcap's man on the ground in L'hexagone to get his take on Collcap's place in the country.

The Airtight Compact (1)
Made by precision manufacturer Samhwa, for whom Collcap serves as the exclusive European provider, each compact offers a bi-injected seal on the inner PP case. The top portion swings open and closes firmly to keep the product reservoir underneath sealed.
The Airtight Compact (2)
The compact's seal virtually eliminates spoilage or product loss due to moisture or gas loss. The benefit to the consumer is obvious: each compact, providing an airtight environment, ensures products do not dry out over the course of time and become unusable.
The Mini Pocket
This refillable mini-pump for creams, serums, and foundations is popular due to its sleek, chic design. Highly portable, the 20ml Mini Pocket is ideal for women with an "on-the-go" lifestyle and feels great in the hand.
The Square Airless Compact
Collcap’s new generation Airtight Compact, available for solid and liquid bulk formulations and in two shapes, is emerging as a favourite in both Europe and the South Korean market. The patented bi-injected seal provides the best airtight results on the market.

Guillaume Bichon

Sales Manager for Collcap,
based in France

Guillaume, what is your role at Collcap?
I'm the sales manager for France.
What is your background?
I have been in the cosmetic industry for 14 years, working for contract manufacturers as a project manager in charge of product launches, and then as a sales manager before I joined Collcap a year ago.
How have you settled in during the last year at Collcap, and what is your next challenge?
My main focus is to develop the French market together with European French-speaking countries and Spain. This has been proving successful so far and will remain my primary goal for the years to come.
How does the French office benefit Collcap customers in Europe?
Having Collcap staff speak a number of languages as natives such as French, German, or Spanish is a key to developing relations with new European customers, and the success we have had in developing the French market in the past year proves it. This helps us get even closer to our customers not only because we speak the same language but also because we understand the cultures.
How does Collcap differ from other suppliers?
First of all, Collcap gives customers a very flexible offering. We can be very competitive in price and therefore work with mass-market customers. On the other end, we can also provide high quality packs that are suitable for premium/luxury brands. We not only supply packaging, we also provide project management services, whether it is for the launch of a standard pack or a bespoke one, thanks to our designers, technical team, and our use of 3D printing technology.
Forthcoming trends: In what are people interested in this market and how do we meet the demand?
The presence of our staff on three key continents for the cosmetic industry (Europe, Asia, and America) enables us to understand the markets we and our customers are selling to. For example, we have been showing Cushion airtight compacts to our European customers for 18 months, now. This pack has been very trendy in South Korea for nearly three years and will surely be very successful in Europe within the next 2 years. It is a long term game!

We also had the opportunity to chat with Amanda Pritchard, head of Sales and NPD for Collcap, and asked her a bit about her take on the French market.

Our new Sales account Manager Guillaume Bichon, who is based in France, is proving to be indispensable in promoting Collcap there.

Amanda has worked at Collcap for seven years, starting in an operational support role to the sales team, where she gained considerable product and technical knowledge, which provided an excellent base for her further career within the company.

She moved on to become a sales account manager looking after one of Collcap’s largest accounts. Over the past four years, Amanda has come to thoroughly enjoy working closely with customers on numerous projects throughout Europe, including some significant brand re-launches.

Moving further into France, according to Amanda, is a challenge, but one that she is keen to meet head on.

She considers expansion "an opportunity for Collcap, which is already proving to be a successful business decision". She believes Guillaume’s knowledge of the French market has "enabled him to build relationships with numerous brands, and to prove that Collcap can be a strategic supplier within the French packaging supply sector".

By merging a local presence with a global outlook, Collcap has created a close-knit, dedicated team with a world-standard service offering. The technical skills and expertise within the company have gained many links throughout the UK and Europe with brands and fillers alike. France will prove no different.

With friendly, flexible service and a dedication to providing cost-effective and high quality solutions, Collcap believes in building lasting partnerships based on mutual trust and confidence. That's something the French, as well as other European nationalities, consider to be a differentiating factor.