Brazil
www.boticario.com.br
Sales: $1.5 billion

Derived from ancient Portuguese for “The Apothecary,” O Boticário bills itself as the largest cosmetics franchise in the world, with 2,500 outlets throughout the world, 80% of which are in its home country.

Second only to Natura among Brazilian cosmetics makers, the O Boticário lineup boasts more than 200 fragrances. The company was founded by Miguel Krigsner in 1969.

Brazil
www.boticario.com.br
Sales: $1.7 billion

Retail sales rose 16% in local currency last year to top $3.5 billion. O Boticário is the No. 2 player in the Brazil beauty market (behind Natura) and the No. 2 franchise in Brazil as well (behind Correios, a state-owned company that runs the postal service). It got there by being the No. 1 company in fragrance and No. 2 in makeup. But even top-tier Brazilian companies noticed the Brazilian economy is slowing.

No surprise then, that O Boticário is seeking greener pastures. Last year, the company entered Colombia, the third largest fragrance market in Latin America, and one that tripled in size during the past 12 years, according to industry experts. The goal, said O Boticário executives, is to build a business with 100 stores and $80 million in sales, by the end of 2016.

For the third year in a row, Boticário Group CEO Artur Grynbaum was named one of Brazil’s best executives by the top headhunters in the country. He was recognized for doubling the size of the company in the past four years.

Last year, The Boticário Group concluded a major investment cycle in operational infrastructure of approximately R$1 billion, which started in 2010 with the distribution center opening in Registro (São Paulo). In 2013, the company expanded the São José dos Pinhais operational unit, built a makeup factory and research and development center. Last year, The Boticário Group inaugurated a second distribution center and a new factory, both in the state of Bahia, completing this robust expansion plan.

Brazil
www.boticario.com.br
Sales: $2.4 billion

Bigger and better for Boticário. The group has spent more than $160 million during the past year, investing in infrastructure in the Paraná and Bahia states. The company is opening a new factory in Camaçari (BA), while a distribution center in São Gonçalo dos Campos began operation in April.

Last year, the Group inaugurated a modern R&D center in São José dos Pinhais. The site manufactures makeup and features a 4,000 square-meter automated warehouse. All of these projects are expected to help keep the company growing for the next 20 years.

“Two thousand thirteen was the most important in terms of investment in infrastructure since we created Grupo Boticário in 2010,” said Artur Grynbaum, a co-owner. “It was the year to consolidate the new business units, which are very recent movements; to make strategic and major adjustments; and to prepare our structure for a beautiful future. We have already started to see the positive results from these initiatives.”

Grupo Boticário employs 6,000 direct employees and operates in 1,750  cities in Brazil and also in seven other countries. The four business units operate in multichannel platforms (stores, e-commerce and direct sales).

Together, the four units have 3,755 stores, of which 248 were opened last year.

O Boticario’s success has been very, very good for owners Miguel Krigsner  and Grynbaum. According to Forbes, Krigsner, who owns 80% of the company, is worth $2.7 billion; Grynbaum’s net worth is $690 million.

Brazil
www.boticario.com.br

Sales: $2.0 billion (estimated)

The No. 2 player in the Brazilian beauty industry (behind Natura), O Boticário operates retail stores throughout the country. In fact, A year ago, O Boticário overtook McDonald’s Corp. as the largest franchise operator in Brazil with more than 2,500 retail locations. Now, company executives are taking aim at rivals such as Natura and Avon by expanding their direct sales operations, which now cover 80% of the country. The system is operated by O Boticário franchisees who select saleswomen, and deliver catalogs and products.

O Boticário has a workforce of more than 10,000 and operates a state-of-the-art facility in São José dos Pinhais in greater Curitiba.