Why would local, privately owned companies like Astra want to sell out to companies like Gillette? Why are such companies attractive acquisitions to multinational firms?
Answers
The Boston-based firm was founded in 1895 and is still best known for its original products, razors and razor blades. By the end of the twentieth cent~ry, Gillette had grown into a global corporation that marketed. its products in 200 countries and employed 44,000 people worldwide. About 1.2 billion people use Gillette products every day. Its sales are about equally distributed among the United States (30 percent), Western Europe (35 percent), and the rest of the world (35 percent).
As markets matured in developing countries, Gillette sought growth through product diversification, moving into lines such as home permanents, disposable lighters, ballpoint pens, and batteries. In the mid-1990s, Gillette targeted several key emerging markets for growth. Among them were Russia, . China, India and Poland. Russia was already a success story. Gillette had formed a Russian joint venture in St.Petersburg and within 3 years Russia had become Gillette's third-largest blade market.
Gillette's move into the Czech Republic had prospered as well and in 1995 Gillette bought Astra, a 10caI; privately owned razor blade company. Astra gave Gillette expanded brand presence in the Czech market. Astra's relatively strong position in export markets ~n East Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia proved a boon to Gillette in those markets as well. Jus.t as in other markets in the developing world, 70 percent of East European blade .consumers used the older, lowertech double-edge blade. In more developed
markets, consumers appreciated product innovation and the shaving market had moved to more hightech systems such as Gillettes Sensor.)
Then disaster struck. A financial crisis that began in Thailand quickly spread across Asia. Many wary investors responded by pulling money out of other emerging markets as well depressing economies across the globe. Bad economies meant slower sales for Gillette, especially in Asia, Russia and Latin America. In Russia, wholesalers could not afford to buy Gillette products. Consequently, these products disappeared from retail stores and Gillette's Russian sales plummeted 80 percent in a single month.
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