Quality As Common Ground

Quality As Common Ground
Fiesta Sun And Bask Join The Performance Brands Team

by Matt Morgan

When Performance Brands, Inc. acquired Co-Labs International in February, it wasn't the end for the manufacturer of Fiesta Sun and Bask lines of professional-quality skincare products. Rather, it was a new and exciting beginning. Today, the former Co-Labs' two product brands are alive and well, and their futures look bright.The acquisition, which took place Feb. 12, gave exclusive rights of Co-Labs' two indoor tanning brands, Fiesta Sun and Bask, to Performance Brands, manufacturer of Pro Tan products. It came on the heels of the launch of four new products--three in the Fiesta Sun line and one in Bask.

Xtreme Bronzed 10x, a tingle bronzer; Chilly Pepper, a cooling bronzer; and Bronzed Pepper, a nontingle bronzer add to Fiesta Sun's clout in the marketplace. "Fiesta Sun has an incredible list of very loyal customers that enjoy the benefits of the product formulations," says Brandon Cardinal, former sales and marketing director for Co-Labs and current national sales director for Performance Brands.

Surrender, a stimulating bronzer, is the newest addition to Bask. "This is the strongest stimulator we have ever attempted to create," he says.

"The acquisition of both of these fine brands is a natural evolution," Cardinal says. "It is our continued commitment to the indoor tanning industry and a very beneficial addition to our family of products." The Performance Brands staff, which increased to accommodate Co-Labs' distributors and salon partners, is excited for the upcoming season, Cardinal says.

"The acquisition went very smoothly for both parties involved," he says. "You could not ask for a better transition. Now we just need to take advantage of our opportunities to take our product lines to the next level."

Cardinal is excited about his position with his new company, because he will be working very closely with distributors and their needs. He also will get the opportunity to work with chemists to help create new products.

"To make our products successful in this market, we must educate and promote our distributors and our tremendous brand awareness to the salon level," he says. "Working with salons gives me an extraordinary advantage to create beneficial products that salons want, need and buy."

The Performance Brands headquarters will remain in Sunrise, Fla. The Co-Labs facility in St. Cloud, Minn., has become Performance Brands' central sales office. "The sales office is a key to our success," Cardinal says, "making it convenient to contact salons and distributors on either coast."

Getting To Know You

While Performance Brands didn't have intimate knowledge of Fiesta Sun or Bask, its staff was familiar with the names through Co-Labs' marketing as well as salon and distributor networks. "When they started to investigate the products, they found a very determined and loyal customer following," he says. "We will be taking advantage of that loyalty by expanding and fine-tuning both product lines."

However, improvements to Fiesta Sun and Bask products will be minor. "Salons enjoy our current lineup of products," Cardinal says. Performance Brands is looking forward to showcasing its new-and-improved look at the Indoor Tanning Association's November trade show in Nashville. "We will be launching a huge promotional campaign to educate and help salons increase their profits," he says.

Performance Brands will be adjusting infrastructure to accommodate its needs in the upcoming season, but Cardinal says there have been few changes at the company. The new order will allow the new-look company to provide salon owners with "an outstanding choice of quality and value-driven products for all of their clients," he says. "We also will start offering packettes, gallons and 32-ounce-size products for the 2003 season."

The common ground between Performance Brands and Co-Labs was pride in quality. Getting the rest to completely mesh will come with time, Cardinal says. "Within the next few months we will be fitting the pieces together in order to make all products across the board coincide," he continues. "We have all the confidence in the world that we have great chemistry as a company, great products that are affordable and the personnel to get it done."

The addition of Fiesta Sun and Bask to the Performance Brands team has Cardinal brimming with excitement. "Whatever trends our industry turns to next, we know we will provide and lead the way in manufacturing high- quality products," he says. "We also will continue to maintain style and quality that is unmatched with a 100-percent quality guarantee."