Amway continues to focus on health and wellbeing. Its Nutrilite vitamin and dietary supplement brand accounted for 60% of corporate sales last year, which fell 5% last year to $7.7 billion. Amway executives blamed the strength of the US dollar and continued impact from exiting Russia in 2022. Despite the decline in sales, the company was named the largest direct selling company in the world by Direct Selling News. Forbes lists Amway at No. 70 in its list of the Top 100 privately-held companies in the US.

Early in fiscal 2024, Amway unveiled its “Beautiful Life” China strategy which includes renewed focus on China. In the world’s No. 2 consumer market, Amway empowered and redesigned its business to better align with the local market trend and maintains a strong commitment to local economic development. According to President of Amway China Yu Fang, the company’s mission is to “help people live a healthier and better life” and health is merely the beginning of a better life.

The eight pillars of Amway’s new “Beautiful Life” strategy are physical health, a vibrant lifestyle, emotional wellness, strong social connections, long-term financial well-being, sustained personal development, social contribution, and a green, low-carbon lifestyle.

In March, Amway announced a $127 million expansion of its manufacturing and R&D facilities in Ada. The company will invest in manufacturing capabilities, new manufacturing equipment and facility improvements over the next three years. This investment includes state-of-the-art nutritional tableting capabilities at its Spaulding facility, and pilot and quality control labs at the company’s headquarters designed to expedite the development and testing of the next generation of nutritional products.

Sales: $3.2 billion

The Amway Center is home the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association.

Corporate sales fell 9% last year to $8.1 billion. Despite the decline, Amway remains the largest company in the global direct selling industry.
CEO Milind Pant blamed a strong US dollar, the sale of an affiliated nutritional supplement company (Alticor) and the withdrawal from Ukraine. Despite the decline, Amway is completing the $35 million expansion of its Spaulding manufacturing facility in Ada. The facility produces beauty and nutritional products.

In May, for the first time in company history, four Artistry Skin Nutrition products earned The Skin Cancer Foundation Seal of Recommendation. The four products are: Hydrating Day Lotion SPF 30, Balancing Matte Day Lotion SPF 30, Renewing Reactivation Day Lotion SPF 30 and Renewing Reactivation Day Cream SPF 30.

Last month, Amway’s John Parker, chief sales officer & regional president West, received the Direct Selling Association’s Bravo Excellence Award. It recognizes executives with a long history of leadership, excellence and integrity. Parker began his Amway career in 1993 in an entry level customer service role. During his 30+ year career, he rose to a small regional role, to president of Amway Japan, to his current role.

Sales: $3.5 billion

Corporate sales rose 4% to $8.9 billion last year. Nutrilite, a line of vitamins and dietary supplements, accounted for 53% of corporate sales. With that in mind, last year Amway launched Artistry Skin Nutrition. The company maintains the “products work like supplements for skin.”

Billed as clean, traceable and vegan, the formulas promise to purify (cleansers), balance (toners), rebuild, moisturize and protect (eye and face moisturizers). To create Artistry Skin Nutrition, Amway scientists teamed up with University of Michigan researchers. The result, says Amway, can be seen in products like Prevent Complex, which boosts skin’s natural defense system by 350%, helping delay the visible signs of aging. The formula contains Nutrilite-grown acerola cherry, Australian daisy and blackberry extract. Repair Complex is said to restore skin’s youthful looking condition by 600% and reduce skin stressors by 90%. It contains spinach, turmeric and tea olive flower.

“Nutrition is our fastest-growing category and will lead us into our envisioned future. We aim to continue being an entrepreneur-led health and wellness company; and to manufacture in the US, the preferred country of origin for these products across the world,” the company stated in a memo sent to employees in March of last year.

In a note to employees and Amway business owners, CEO Milind Pant credited everything the company accomplished in 2021 to the “dedication, passion and agility of Amway employees and Amway business owners across the world.”

Still, that didn’t save some employees. In March 2021, Amway cut 6% of its workforce, or about 900 jobs. Most of the cuts came at the company’s headquarters.

Sales: $2.5 billion for household and personal products
Corporate sales: $8.5 billion

Corporate sales rose 2% last year. About 90% of Amway’s revenue comes from outside the US, with 75% of sales generated in the Asia-Pacific region.

The new Artistry Skin Nutrition products are registered vegan with the Vegan Society and are formulated “Artistry Clean;” i.e., formulas include a “Yes” list of approved, beneficial and safe ingredients, and a “No” list of more than 1,300 banned ingredients that are never used, according to Amway.

In May, Amway CEO Milind Pant told Forbes, “At Amway, we like to say that all you need to be an entrepreneur with us are the three Ps: a passion, a positive attitude and a phone. You don’t need any physical capital, higher education requirements, or selling experience. If you have the three Ps, you can be an entrepreneur…and a creator.”

Pant is the first Amway CEO who is not a member of the founding Van Andel and DeVos families.

“We believe that anyone, anywhere, anytime has the potential to be a creator,” Pant told Forbes. “Our ambition is to make it ten times easier for micro-entrepreneurs to reimagine themselves as wellness or beauty creators, nurturing relationships, providing solutions to their community and converting their passions into profits.”

Earlier this year, Amway rolled out Artistry Skin Nutrition, a skin care regimen that the company maintains addresses five key nutritional elements:

• Purify—keeps skin clean, calm, and free of skin-stressing irritants.
• Balance—stabilizes and nurtures an optimal microbiome.
• Rebuild—strengthens and repairs the appearance of skin’s support layer to increase resilience, elasticity, and firmness.
• Moisturize—saturates skin with lasting hydration.
• Protect—fights environmental aggressors with SPF and antioxidants.

All Skin Nutrition products contain white chia, which Amway describes as “nature’s superseed, a nutrient-dense and ancient grain superfood.” Amway uses the entire white chia seed, which is rich in Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. The formula is said to nourish skin and improve barrier function.

Sales: $2.5 billion for personal and home care products.
Corporate sales: $8.4 billion

Corporate sales fell more than 4% last year. Milind Pant became the company’s first non-family CEO in January 2019. Pant had been president of Pizza Hut International and prior to that, he spent 15 years at Unilever. Last year, the company was recognized by Diversity Global magazine as one of the 15 Champions of Diversity. Lynette Collins, director, culture, diversity and inclusion and talent acquisition, was cited for developing a successful Diversity & Inclusion program. Today, women account for nearly half of top executives, up from 14% a few years ago.

Amway was the original side-hustle and as competition has grown and the gig economy becomes the norm, Amway created the Hybris Center of Excellence and a Mobile Center of Excellence to bring its distributors together. In 2019, Amway spent $200 million to bolster its digital capabilities, including launching a new version of its mobile app. Social media helps too, according to Dalton DeVos, grandson of Amway Co-Founder Rich DeVos, who noted that young entrepreneurs see social not as a part of doing business but the way they do business. Social influencers build and leverage credibility, but as DeVos notes, they aren’t better at social media, just more intentional about it. Finally, he pointed out that interaction is critical and constant. Influencers post regularly, engage with questions, ask for opinions and respond quickly to encourage open, ongoing dialogue that builds trusted relationships.

Amway celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2019, and making it to 70 will depend on social commerce, according to Pant.

“We want to make it easy for our ABOs (Amway Business Owners) to delight their customers each day with amazing products and frictionless shopping experiences,” Pant told Direct Selling News. To get there, Pant said Amway will build on its three biggest strengths—the entrepreneurial spirit of its distributors; the existing, vibrant communities they have built offline-to-online; and its key brands such as Artistry.

Sales: $2.9 billion for personal and home care products.
Corporate sales: $8.8 billion.

This year, Amway celebrates its 60th anniversary.

Corporate sales in 2018 were $8.8 billion, a 2% increase over 2017 sales. According to Amway, 26% of sales came from beauty and personal care products and home cleaning accounted for 20% of sales. The company proudly notes that it was once again named as the world’s No. 1 direct selling business by Direct Selling News’ Global 100 list. This is the seventh year in a row Amway has earned this distinction.

Richard M. DeVos, co-founder of Amway, died last year. Best known as an aspiring, motivational leader and pioneer of the famous Amway direct selling method that offered individuals the opportunity to build businesses of their own, DeVos founded the company that would become Amway in 1949 with his high school friend and classmate, Jay Van Andel. DeVos was Amway president from the company’s founding until 1993, when he was succeeded by his son.

Amway hired Milind Pant as its chief executive officer in October. Pant joined Amway from Yum! Brands and was formerly president of Pizza Hut International. This is a new position for Amway, which has been family-run since 1959. The company will continue to be family-owned and family-led, but the overall management and leadership of the business will be assumed by Pant.

Amway also appointed Anouchah Sanei as its chief research and development officer. Sanei most recently served as vice president, global science and technology at Campbell Soup and brings with her extensive global experience in leading transformational change and innovation. She will be responsible for leading Amway’s global R&D organization, which consists of nearly 1,000 scientists, engineers and technicians throughout more than 100 countries and territories where Amway operates.

In November, the India arm of Amway entered the rapidly growing herbal skin care market, its first foray into the category. Amway is just one of the many global companies competing for market share to enter this space over the past two years.

“We are watching this space very closely and could extend other brands to the herbals space. Indian consumers are increasingly orienting themselves to herbal products and the new range will be among our growth engines in the coming year,” Amway India Chief Executive Anshu Budhraja said.

New products launched in the past year include the Artistry Studio NYC Edition line of makeup inspired by the bright lights and colors of New York City and the Artistry Studio Parisian Edition inspired by the City of Lights.

Sales: $2.9 billion for personal and home care products.
Corporate sales: $8.6 billion.

Sales in Happi’s fields rose slightly last year, as corporate sales dipped to $8.6 billion. According to Amway, 26% of sales came from beauty and personal care products and home cleaning accounted for 7% of sales. Amway proudly notes that it sits atop Direct Selling News’  list of the top 100 direct selling companies. It got there, in large part, to big gains in Asia. Last year, for example, South Korea, Thailand and India all posted solid growth.

“We have weathered a challenging period for our business in China that, combined with less than favorable exchange rates, have impacted our sales for a few years,” said Amway president Doug DeVos. “That downward trajectory has leveled off and now, with our China business rebounding faster than expected, we are forecasting sales growth in 2018. Several factors further support the company’s 2018 forecast, including steady growth in bellwether markets like South Korea and Thailand, expanding investments in digital platforms and distributor tools, and new product launches that are exceeding expectations.”

Amway’s top 10 markets, based on 2017 sales, were China, US, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, India, Russia, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

To keep its army of entrepreneurs happy, Amway continues to invest in digital instruments. The company notes that in China, approximately 70% of product purchases are already made through digital and social platforms, and two-thirds of those are via mobile devices. The company has launched new apps and digital experiences in China, such as the Online Studio.

In the Philippines, Amway launched an intuitive and streamlined online experience called AmwayNow that offers fresh content that business owners can share with customers and others, integration with calendars, social feeds and mobile contacts, and the latest news from Amway.

Last month, Amway formed a global partnership with Perfect Corp., the parent of YouCam, to launch the Artistry Virtual Beauty app, which enables users to discover, test and purchase Amway’s color cosmetics and skin care products. The global rollout began in Korea and is moving to Japan, Thailand and US throughout 2018.

Another consumer trend that Amway is well poised to capitalize on is the global desire for high-efficacy and reliable skin care. Artistry Advanced Vitamin C + HA Treatment, a serum with proven results in reducing expression lines, was launched in 2017 with acerola cherry extract from Amway’s certified organic farms. It contains the highest concentration of vitamin C among Artistry products.

Sales: $2.8 billion for home and personal care products.
Corporate sales: $8.8 billion.

Sales of household and personal care products fell more than 7% last year, in line with a corporate sales decline of 7%, too, to $8.8 billion. It marked the third year in a row that the privately-held Amway reported a decline in sales.

“Across the world, Amway did well in 2016,” insisted Amway chairman Steve Van Andel.  “We experienced sales growth in several top markets, saw double-digit percentage growth in nine additional markets, and continued to evolve the business in China as we seek to take advantage of shifting market conditions and achieve the market’s long-term growth potential.

“Above all, we are pleased to see the continued and growing relevance of the direct selling model in today’s marketplace as people place real value on personal recommendations, and technology enables our distributors to connect with customers at any place at any time.”

The 2016 drop in sales was the smallest in three years, and, despite the decline, Amway remains the biggest player in the direct sales industry. Beauty and personal care sales accounted for 25% of Amway’s revenue, while home care added just 7%. The top 10 markets for Amway in 2016 were China, US, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Russia and Hong Kong.

In April, Amway started rolling out G&H, billed as naturally inspired and thoughtfully made bath and body care for the whole family. The range includes a dozen products—bar soaps, deodorant, hand creams and body washes, etc.—in three collections (Nourish, Protect and Refresh), all featuring naturally inspired ingredients and eco-sensitive packaging. All G&H products are manufactured using 100% wind power. Bottles and cartons are 100% recyclable and packaged in innovative bottles designed to use less overall plastic per unit. In addition, Amway is also offering eco-efficient refill pouches for multiple products.

Amway concluded a seven-site, $100 million manufacturing expansion more than a year ago, but the company continues to make infrastructure investments. Amway recently completed a 17,000-square-foot expansion at its Quincy, MA plant.

Sales: $4.5 billion for beauty and home care products.
Corporate sales: $9.5 billion.

Corporate sales fell 12% to $9.5 billion, the second year in a row of declines. Beauty accounted for 25% of sales and home care accounted for 23% of sales. Amway maintained that it enjoyed constant dollar sales growth in 70% of its top 20 markets but, like many international companies, experienced soft sales in China and unfavorable currency exchange rates that negated gains.

“We experienced growth in seven of our top 10 markets and emerging markets in Latin America and elsewhere continue to perform well,” said Steve Van Andel, Amway chairman. “Several markets achieved record sales levels in 2015 with others producing their best performance in some time. An increasingly competitive environment in China and unfavorable currency exchange rates mask a positive year overall for Amway globally.”

The company experienced good growth in legacy markets like the US, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Malaysia, along with emerging markets such as Brazil, Mexico and many others. The top 10 markets for Amway in 2015 were China, South Korea, US, Japan, Thailand, Russia, Taiwan, Malaysia, India and Ukraine.

Sales may have shrunk in 2015, but that didn’t stop Amway from expanding its global footprint. Here’s a list of the five facilities that the company opened last year:

• $42 million nutrition manufacturing and R&D facility in Buena Park, CA;
• $81 million nutrition manufacturing facility in Ada, MI;
• $25 million nutrition manufacturing facility in Binh Duong, Vietnam;
• $13 million Amway Botanical Research Center in Wuxi, China; and
• $100 million nutrition, beauty, personal care and home care manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu, India.

They’re all part of Amway’s ongoing $332 million manufacturing expansion.

The company is expanding its footprint, as it says goodbye to two brands. Just last month, Amway sold luxury cosmetics lines Laura Mercier and ReVive to Shiseido Co. Specifically, Amway’s parent company, Alticor Inc., has agreed to sell New York-based Gurwitch Products LLC, the holding company for Laura Mercier and ReVive, to the 140-year-old Japanese cosmetics maker. Gurwitch had sales of $175 million in fiscal 2015.

Sales: $3.5 billion for beauty and home care products.
Corporate sales: $10.8 billion.

Amway is the world’s No. 1 direct selling company, according to the Direct Sales Association. These days, Amway derives 43% of its sales from nutrition, 19% from durables and 5% from other categories that are outside Happi’s focus. Beauty products accounted for 25% of sales last year and home care products represented 8%. The company’s top 10 markets in 2014 were China, South Korea, Japan, US, Thailand, Russia, Taiwan, India, Malaysia and Ukraine. The company notes that 63% of all households in Beijing owns at least one Amway product. In comparison, 58% of Korean and 22% of US households can make the same claim.

In 2014, Amway’s corporate sales fell 8%, but that hasn’t slowed the company’s major expansion plans. The company is building four facilities in the US (primarily to support its Nutrilite nutrition business), a new manufacturing facility in India, a second manufacturing site in Vietnam and an R&D center in China. It all adds up to a $332 million investment in new facilities, with five coming on-stream this year.

Amway is ramping up its sustainability efforts, too. The company maintains that Nutrilite is the only global vitamin and mineral brand to grow, harvest and process plants on its own organic farms. Amway also uses these botanicals in its Artistry beauty and personal care products. Overall, the company owns and operates more than 6,400 acres of certified organic farmland in the US, Mexico and Brazil.

Other notable sustainability efforts include the doubling of wind power utilized since 2007 and, since 2008, Amway reduced greenhouse gas emissions and water usage by 25% and 10%, respectively.

Sales: $5.6 billion for personal care and home care products.
Corporate sales: $11.8 billion.

Amway’s No. 1…in overall direct sales, according to Direct Selling News’ 2014 Global 100. Avon is No. 2 on DSN’s list.
According to industry observers, sales of household and personal care products account for less than half of the company’s sales. Corporate sales rose more than 4%, marking the seventh consecutive year that Amway has posted a sales increase. Although nutrition continues to lead growth, Amway said beauty product sales were strong too, thanks to the global rollout of the Artistry Youth Xtend skin care collection and the launch of Artistry Ideal Radiance brightening line.

The company is in the midst of a $332 million global expansion that includes facilities being built in Washington, California and Michigan in the US, as well as a site in India, R&D facilities in China and South Korea and a manufacturing plant in Vietnam, which began construction in March.

In new product news, Artistry Ideal Radiance is a brightening skin care collection that harnesses an exclusive 3D technology to address irritation, hyper-pigmentation and environmental protection. The seven-item line includes botanicals like English daisies, European geraniums, jasmine, evening primrose. and sophora japonica to soothe skin.

Sales: $5.4 billion for personal care and home care products.
Corporate sales: $11.3 billion.

Corporate sales rose nearly 10% last year. Last month, Amway unveiled the future restage of its Artistry brand with the pre-launch of Artistry Youth Xtend Serum Concentrate. According to Amway, this powerful serum is one of eight revolutionary anti-aging products to come in the new Artistry Youth Xtend Skincare Collection. As the hero product of the line, it is designed to revitalize, repair and protect the skin of women who are starting to notice the first signs of aging—like fine lines and wrinkles and loss of radiance—and who want to keep their skin looking younger, longer.  Youth Xtend contains LifeSirt, an ingredient extracted from the leaf of Mediterranean myrtle, which promises to nourish skin cells; African Baobab Fruit Extract, which is said to be rich in moisturizing agents and antioxidants and Micro-X6 peptide, which consists of six amino acids to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. According to Amway, 92% of women experienced a clinical reduction in visible fine lines after 12 weeks of using Artistry Youth Xtend Serum Concentrate.

Amway cites Euromonitor International data that describes Artistry as one of the top five, largest-selling premium skin care brands in the world. Amway operates as a direct sales business. It’s retail presence is minimal, just one storefront in London—until it opened a store at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.

Sales: $5 billion for personal care and home care products.
Corporate sales: $10.9 billion as reported by parent company Alticor.

Led by big gains in China, sales of beauty and personal care products approached $2.8 billion in sales last year, driven by the Artistry brand, which is among the world’s top five largest selling premium skin care brands* and is the No. 1 brand in China, according to Amway. Artistry Intensive Skincare Renewing Peel, which launched globally in 2011, was the first in a new line of at-home skin care products that offer benefits comparable to clinical professional treatments.** Other significant launches in 2011 were Creme LX Eye and the Artistry Men skin care line.

Sales of home products reached, $2.2 billion led, in part, by continued strong sales for the eSpring Water Purifier, Atmosphere Air Purifier and the Amway Home line of products.

Although not part of Happi’s world, Amway is investing in its nutritional products. The company said it is investing $180 million to significantly expand US manufacturing and processing capacity to meet growing global demand for its top-selling Nutrilite brand of vitamin, mineral and dietary supplements.

Nutrilite is the world’s No. 1 selling vitamins and dietary supplements brand,* leading nutrition category sales approaching $4.7 billion in 2011. Sales of Nutrilite Protein Powder and Double X Vitamin/Mineral/Phytonutrient supplements accounted for more than one third of category sales. Major product launches for Nutrilite last year included Memory Builder supplement, Vitamin C Plus Extended Release, and Nutrilite All-Plant Protein Powder.

“Nutrilite is integral to the future of Amway as the world’s No. 1 selling vitamins and dietary supplements brand,” said Amway chairman Steve Van Andel and president Doug DeVos in a joint statement. “By bringing a second nutrition product manufacturing plant to our home market of Michigan, we are helping our distributors meet the growing customer demand for our Nutrilite brand products.”

Sales of products that do not fall into the nutrition, beauty or home categories totaled $600 million in 2011.

Sales:$5.7 billion for personal care, nutrition and household products.
Corporate sales: $9.2 billion for the year ended Aug. 31, 2010.

Amway’s parent company, Alticor Inc., reported sales rose 9.5% to exceed $9.2 billion for 2010. The 2010 performance results mark Alticor’s 10th sales increase in the past 11 years. The company said that despite an economy recovering from a global recession, 2010 was very solid.

“We had a strong year across the map,” said Chairman Steve Van Andel. “Amway was able to gain market share in the direct selling industry, and our key product lines improved their competitive position as well.”

Said President Doug DeVos: “Awareness of Amway’s business opportunity and product brands continue to grow as we invest in brand-building. We believe in the potential of this business, and so do our distributors. We are aiming even higher for 2011.”

The company announced that category sales of Nutrilite approached $4 billion, attributed to overall growth in the category as well as increased visibility for Nutrilite in 2010. Major campaigns included “Color Yourself Healthy,” a global awareness program that promoted the benefits of plant ingredients for optimal health. Global sponsorships focused on major sports teams and well-known athletes continue to build brand awareness for Nutrilite.

Artistry skin care and cosmetics led beauty category sales for Amway. The company cited the successful launch of Artistry Intensives Renewing Peel, the first product in a new Intensives line of skin care products designed to provide professional results at home. Masstige brand Beautycycle successfully launched in Europe and Australia, targeted to consumers who are looking for high-quality skin care and cosmetics products containing natural ingredients.

The company also unveiled a new Amway brand identity in 2010, highlighted by the opening of the Amway Center, home to the National Basketball Association’s Orlando Magic, which became the first high-profile venue in North America to showcase Amway’s new brand identity.

The Amway One by One Campaign for Children rallies the resources of Amway distributors and employees around the world to make a difference in the lives of children in every market where the company conducts business. Since Amway One by One launched in 2003, it has provided hope and opportunity to 8 million children and donated more than $141 million to children’s causes worldwide. The number of employee and distributor volunteer hours logged since 2003 now totals 2.3 million, nearly doubling from a cumulative total of 1.3 million hours reported in 2009.

Amway has developed a formalized disaster relief program. The goal is to anticipate in the event of a disaster to ensure prompt, decisive and effective action. As a result of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, collectively Amway corporate headquarters, global Amway affiliates, Amway employees, distributors and customers raised more than $4.4 million in funds toward immediate relief and long-term recovery in Japan.

Sales: $6.6 billion (estimated) for household, personal care and nutritional products.
Corporate sales: $8.4 billion for the year ended June 30, 2009

Corporate sales rose 2.3% last year—that’s heady stuff considering how most companies struggled during the recession. Moreover, according to Internet Retailer’s annual Top 500 Guide to the web, Amway Global was ranked No. 1 in the health and beauty category for the seventh consecutive year, and 27th in overall web sales. According to Internet Retailer estimates, Amway Global’s online sales were more than $885 million in 2009.

“We are extremely proud to be number one in online health and beauty sales for seven straight years,” said Steve Lieberman, managing director, Amway Global. “Our leadership in this category is largely due to the high quality and appeal of our major health and beauty brands, Nutrilite supplements and Artistry skin care and cosmetics. The real credit, however, belongs to the dedicated independent business owners (IBOs) who drive our sales.”

In April, Amway Corp. announced a series of changes to its supply chain structure aimed at improving the global direct selling firm’s competitive position.

“More than 80% of our customers buy our products outside the U.S., and Amway needs to update its supply chain to reflect that,” said Amway chairman Steve Van Andel. “As part of our long-term strategy, we are moving some production closer to customers to cut supply times and significantly reduce shipping-related costs. Some of these steps are difficult, but they will help us drive long-term growth and sustain existing jobs in all our markets.”

Through 2013, Amway will:
• Move production of several smaller product lines to Europe and Asia, reducing supply time and cost.
• Move most production of air treatment and water treatment systems to Asia by 2013, where the vast majority of those products are sold. Similarly, production of some home care products will shift closer to high-demand markets in Europe and Asia.
• Consolidate activities at two North American facilities and move some of their functions to other California and Michigan locations.
• End production operations at its facility in Lakeview, CA by 2013. Some operations will be relocated to existing facilities at the company’s headquarters in Ada, MI, a move that will create as many as 50 new positions there, while others will shift to the company’s Buena Park, CA facility, which already has plans to expand, and company farms in Washington, Mexico and Brazil.

The company’s Spaulding Avenue facility in Michigan, underused since catalog sales and fulfillment operations were discontinued in 2009, will close in 2011. Employees will relocate to the main Fulton Street campus in Ada. Amway will offer a retirement program to eligible employees to minimize job loss.

In September, Amway launched Legacy of Clean, a line of household products that includes everything from laundry detergents to surface cleaners to dishwashing detergents and more. Many of them are recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment (DfE) program. Packaging is made from 25% post-consumer recycled plastic.

Sales: $6.5 billion (estimated) for household, personal care and nutritional products.
Corporate sales: $8.2 billion for the year ended June 30, 2008.

Corporate sales surged more than 15% last year. That should be no surprise; historically speaking, when times are tough, business is good for Amway and other direct sales companies.

The company, which was founded by Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel back in 1959, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Last year, 80% of sales came from outside the U.S. Moreover, of its 59 worldwide affiliates, two-thirds reported an increase in sales, with much of the growth in Russia, China and India.

In new product news, Amway launched Clear.Now in May, which it calls a chewable supplement for beautiful skin from the inside out. Clear.Now is a fruit-flavored chewable that supports healthy skin, promotes clear and even skin tone, and enhances a body’s natural ability to promote the appearance of healthy skin. The supplement, along with the three-step Clear.Now Skin Care System, provides a comprehensive solution to achieving a healthy complexion, according to Amway.

The exclusive Clear.Now Supplement features Praventin, a patent-pending, milk-derived protein that helps provide a healthy complexion and beautiful skin. It is also safe for those who are lactose intolerant, with no side effects, according to the company. A 30-day supply retails for $29.99.

While other marketers try to flesh out their internet strategy, Amway continues to succeed through the channel. In fact, according to Internet Retailer’s annual Top 500 Guide to the web, Amway Global is ranked first in the health & beauty category for the sixth consecutive year, and 28th in overall web sales.

According to Internet Retailer estimates, Amway Global’s online sales surpassed $904 million in 2008. The online H&B category grew 14% to more than $2.9 billion, with Amway Global’s sales estimated to represent more than 31% of that category.

“The leader for online health and beauty sales for six straight years is not a label most people would normally associate with Amway Global, but it’s one we’re extremely proud of,” said Steve Lieberman, Amway Global’s managing director in a statement.

In August 2008, Amway Global launched a North American tour of mobile brand experiences, featuring two customized buses, to increase consumer awareness of its two flagship brands, Nutrilite nutrition and wellness products; and Artistry skin care and cosmetics.The buses were designed to educate consumers about the brands and offer opportunities for product sampling.

In June 2008, Nutrilite attained a new milestone by posting a record $3.1 billion in annual sales over the previous 12 months.

Finally, in 2008, Amway’s sister company, Access Business Group, reached $1 billion in contract sales revenue since its inception in 1999.