Andrea Jung and Avon Products in 2003:
Accelerating the Transformation
Last year 2006, Avon celebrates its 120th year anniversary. As a global brand and world leader in lipsticks, fragrances and anti-aging skincare, Avon continues to enlarge by launching innovative, first-to-market products using Avon-patented technology. With a highly diverse global workforce Avon has today nearly 45,000 employees. The growth vision of Avon includes expanding into new geographies, bringing high-quality products and personalized service to more and more woman.
Avon till mid-1990:
The founder, David H. McConnell, lead this company, originally known as the California Perfume Company, till his dead in 1937. 1914 the company reached the milestone of 5 million units. Avon Product went public in 1946; its sales grew at annual rates of 25 percent in the 1950s and entered in international markets as the company expanded its product line. From 1960 till mid-1980's Avon was the world's largest cosmetics company with an annuals sales average of more than $3 billion. By 1980 Avon's sales began to decline as a consequent of following wrong strategies and the recession in this time. Avon tried to boost its revenues with business diversification, but the hoped-for level of performance failed.
Andrea Jung:
Andrea Jung was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1958. Her Shanghai-born mother and Hong Kong-born father had met at the city's university. Both parents were ambitious. She graduated magna cum laude in 1919 with a degree in English literature. She started to work as a management trainee for Bloomingdales and achieved early success before moving to I. Magnin. In 1992 Jung was in charge of women's apparel for Naiman Marcus. Avon offered her a job in 1994 as president of U.S. product ...