China and Vietnam are also among the priority markets in Asia this year, said Christian Courtin-Clarins, chairman of the executive board of France's Clarins Group.
"Thailand is a big market for skin-care products and Clarins is in a good position here," he said in Bangkok yesterday.
About 180,000 units of Clarins products were sold in Thailand last year and this figure should double by 2012, said Jean Marie Le Roy, Clarins' agents' director for Asia-Pacific.
With Clarins' aggressive expansion plan for China, Thailand and Vietnam, Asia's contribution to the company's sales is expected to hit 20-25 percent over the next three years, up from 15 percent at present.
Clarins aims to achieve its goal in the Thai market by adding product lines, investing in advertising, giving away product samples and opening more Clarins Skin Spa outlets.
"Skin-care products have not had a big impact effect from the crisis. I'm not surprised by this. The crisis creates opportunity for us to learn and work in a different way," said Mr Courtin-Clarins.
In terms of units, Clarins' worldwide sales grew 5 percent last year. This year's growth is expected to be on par with last year.
In Thailand Clarins Group also buys extracts and ingredients such as lemongrass and papaya for its products. Its consumption of natural extracts from Thailand is expected to rise with its sales.
Clarins' sales were about 350 million baht last year and will grow 5 percent by the year-end, said Usara Yongpiyakul, assistant vice-president for Clarins products at Central Trading Co, the local distributor in Thailand.
Sales grew 6 percent in the first five months of this year, about eight percentage points off an earlier forecast due to the recession.
The company is allocating 70 million baht this year to marketing and to renovating its Clarins Institutes in Lat Phrao, Bang Na and Chidlom. The name Clarins Institute will also be replaced by Clarins Skin Spa.
