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AdvoCare® Hosts Second Annual #GenerationFit Community Event

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AdvoCare hosted its second annual #GenerationFit workout and fundraiser event on Saturday, February 23, to benefit the AdvoCare Foundation.

Special guests included Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton and four-time Reebok® Crossfit® Games champion Rich Froning. The workout was led by Dave Thompson (Camp DaveFIT), a former professional football player and North Texas-area fitness professional.

The AdvoCare Foundation will use event proceeds to award grants to nonprofit organizations that improve the physical health and wellness of children to combat the childhood obesity epidemic.

“Our company was founded on the principle of leadership, and that is the attitude we bring to the AdvoCare Foundation,” said Allison Levy, executive vice president of AdvoCare and president of the AdvoCare Foundation Board of Directors. “We are proud to include our Distributors in our goal of ending childhood obesity through our GenerationFit event. AdvoCare builds champions, and this is what we are striving to do with the AdvoCare Foundation: help eradicate childhood obesity to build the next generation of champions.”

Established in 2016, the AdvoCare Foundation focuses on helping children be happy, healthy and safe through fighting against childhood obesity. The foundation has awarded grants to organizations that work to improve the lives of children in the areas of fitness and nutrition. Last year’s #GenerationFit event raised $175,000, which was awarded in grants to eight organizations in six cities, such as the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. The AdvoCare Foundation has the goal of awarding $1 million by 2020.

“Childhood obesity is now an epidemic across the United States, and that is why the AdvoCare Foundation works to partner with local organizations and help provide children with the opportunity to experience a safe, happy and healthy lifestyle,” said Whitney Strauss, executive director of the AdvoCare Foundation.”

Youngevity Completes Acquisition of Assets of Khrysos Global

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Youngevity International, Inc. (YGYI) announced that it completed the closing of the acquisition of all the assets of Khrysos Global.

This acquisition of the Tampa, Florida based manufacturer of hemp-based CBD extraction equipment is expected to establish YGYI ‘s newly formed, wholly owned subsidiary, Khrysos Industries, Inc., as a global player in the field-to-finish hemp-CBD oil, isolate and distillate market. It also gives YGYI ownership of INX Laboratories and its testing facilities, allowing the company capabilities in regards to formulation, quality control and testing standards with its CBD products.

“We set out a plan to create a vertical opportunity in the hemp space,” said Dave Briskie, president and CFO of YGYI.  “This is a significant step as it relates to the production, cultivation and extraction of hemp and CBD oil as well as other CBs (cannabinoids). We proudly welcome Dwayne Dundore as the president of newly formed Khrysos Industries along with his entire and very capable team at Khrysos and INX Labs.”

Pursuant to the purchase agreement all assets of Khrysos Global and all shares of capital stock of INX Laboratories and INX Holdings (a real estate holding company) became the property of YGYI, including all real property, joint venture agreements, contracts rights, intellectual property, trademarks, copyrights and service marks used in Khrysos’ business in exchange for a total consideration of $16 million, of which 1,794,972 shares of common stock (having a deemed value of $14 million) and $500,000 was paid at closing. In addition, YGYI agreed to issue to the principals of Khrysos, subject to the approval of stockholders and the Nasdaq Stock Market, contingent consideration warrants to purchase up to 3,000,000 shares of Common Stock at an exercise price of $10 per share upon the achievement of certain revenue and net income milestones.

“I am really excited to be a YGYI shareholder and part of the Youngevity family,” said Dundore. “I look forward to making a meaningful contribution to both the top and bottom line of the company and feel strongly that our capabilities and plans for expansion should create additional value for myself and all shareholders.”

Natura & Co Up 36% for Year

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Natura & Co reported 2018 net revenues grew by 36 percent over the previous year to R$13.4 billion.

Reported net income surged 48.7 percent in the fourth quarter to R$381.7 million, driven by higher EBITDA and lower financial expenses. This strong result came despite hyperinflationary accounting effects in Argentina and The Body Shop’s transformation costs.

Natura & Co’s Executive Chairman of the Board Roberto Marques stated, “With double-digit growth in revenue, adjusted EBITDA and net income and strong free-cash flow generation, Natura & Co’s performance in Q4 caps its first full year of existence with a very strong note. All three of our iconic brands contributed to this performance, with each one rolling out its specific strategy while benefiting from the scale, resources, sharing of best practices and strategic direction of the group.”

Natura posted the strongest quarter in its history in terms of revenue, which was up 15.7 percent to R$2.7 billion in Q4 and up 9.9 percent in the full-year, boosted by strong Christmas campaigns in Brazil and Latin America. In Brazil, reported sales grew 12.9 percent in the fourth quarter, with continued gains in market share, outperforming the market in key categories. In Latin America, reported revenue increased by 23.4 percent in the quarter and by 23.1 percent at constant currency. Mexico, Argentina and Colombia turned in very strong performances.

The Body Shop’s transformation plan is well underway and showing encouraging results. Net revenue was up 11.2 percent in Brazilian Reals in Q4 and up 17.7 percent in the full year. At constant currency, sales were down 1.7 percent in Q4. In the full-year, sales rose 1.7 percent in constant currency.

Aesop delivered yet another quarter and full-year of remarkable growth, with reported revenue up by 43.9 percent in Q4 and an even stronger 50.6 percent in the full year, with very strong performance across all channels and geographies. Aesop continued opening signature stores, adding 18 in the last 12 months to reach 227 at year-end.

To read the full Natura & Co 2018 financial report, click here.

Natural Health Trends Down 3% for 2018

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Natural Health Trends Corp. (NASDAQ: NHTC), a direct-selling and e-commerce company that markets under the NHT Global brand, recently announced its financial results for 2018.

For the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2018, total revenue was $41.6 million, decrease of 10 percent compared to $46.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2017, and a decrease of 12 percent compared to $47.0 million in the third quarter of 2018.

Revenue from the company’s Hong Kong operations, which represented 86 percent of total revenue, was $35.8 million, a decrease of 10 percent compared to $39.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. Revenue outside of Hong Kong of $5.8 million decreased 10 percent compared to $6.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2017.

For the full-year 2018, total revenue was $191.9 million, a decrease of 3 percent compared to $197.6 million in 2017.

“While 2018 was a challenging year, I’m very pleased with the ability of our company and members to navigate the difficult macroeconomic environment,” said Chris Sharng, president of Natural Health Trends Corp. “This unpredictable and challenging operating climate, driven by increased global trade tensions, China’s slowing economy and a weaker currency resulted in a decline in revenue. Notably, the Chinese Yuan’s depreciation of 10 percent against the Hong Kong dollar since February essentially made our products more expensive for our Chinese consumers in 2018. Without the impact of the Yuan devaluation, revenue for the full year of 2018 would have been flat with 2017.”

To read the Natural Health Trends Corp. 2018 financial report, click here.

Robert Harris Named Modere VP of Information Systems & Technology

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Modere recently announced that it has hired Robert D. Harris as vice president of Information Systems and Technology (IS&T).

In his new position, Harris will oversee four verticals that comprise Modere’s global IS&T team: Development Operations, Business Applications, Quality Assurance and Systems. The verticals are responsible for managing web applications for ecommerce and back office solutions, data warehousing and interface programming, unit and load testing for new development, and supporting Modere’s Enterprise Cloud, respectively. Mr. Harris will report directly to Modere’s chief financial officer, Shane Ware.

“As we continue our strong growth and expand across multiple international markets, it is crucial that we develop and maintain a solid, yet innovative and responsive digital infrastructure that supports our global application landscape,” said Ware. “Rob has proven his mettle on the global field, having executed several elegant solutions that have vastly improved customer and in-house, administrative experience while reducing operating expenses. We are very excited to have him on board here with us at Modere.”

Harris joins Modere, Inc. after having steered a $2.5 billion multinational company as senior director and vice president of Global Software Development.

“My priority is to streamline and optimize the company’s technology landscape across multiple platforms and complex environments, making its digital technology a tangible asset,” said Harris. “I look forward to joining Modere’s accomplished team and hope to optimize IT solutions across its growing international portfolio.”

Avon Products, Inc. Announces Partnership to Deliver Global Training Platform

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Avon Products, Inc. has announced a partnership with Fuse Universal (Fuse), a leading provider of next-generation learning technology, to create a global training platform.

The initiative supports a central pillar of Avon’s transformation plan to digitize its business and accelerate the selling and earning power of Avon’s millions of Representatives worldwide.

The partnership is one element of Avon’s business strategy to “Open Up” the company and unleash the potential of the brand and business model. The new training platform will change the way Representatives experience training as Avon transforms into a digital-first, social selling, fast-beauty brand.

The platform will deliver content to fuel Representative earning potential and, thereby, retention. Training delivered through the platform will include a wide range of topics, from beauty tutorials and skincare science to marketing and sales skills. Avon’s goal is to reach millions of women with a mix of blended training to help them build their Avon businesses.

“Our Avon beauty entrepreneurs are the heart of our business and it’s crucial that we provide them with digital and mobile-first tools to open up their potential learning and earning power,” said Miguel Fernandez, president of Global Sales. “This is a core element of Avon’s transformation plan, and as we have recently reported, we’re seeing early signs of the positive impact new digital tools and increased training can have on our Representatives’ sales. In today’s world of ready access to technology, our new relationship with Fuse will enable us to deliver training tools to our global network of Representatives in a form that enables them to learn on their own terms as they grow and thrive with Avon. We are opening up Avon to better serve our customers and support our Representatives. When she succeeds, we succeed.”

Following an extensive procurement process, Avon selected Fuse for its ability to create a globally scalable learning platform. Fuse’s learning platform allows companies to create, curate and share content to facilitate seamless learning, knowledge sharing and communication. The platform is built with learners in mind and achieves employee engagement rates up to 100x higher than other industry learning providers.

Founder and CEO at Fuse Universal, Steve Dineen, added, “Avon’s business is remarkable and touches millions of customers every day. Avon beauty entrepreneurs need to be armed with the latest knowledge on products and services, and this partnership will help power Avon’s transformation, with new ways of working that can be executed with speed and agility. We’re also excited at the prospect of building a community environment that empowers Representatives around the world to share their best practices on sales skills, customer experience and product knowledge in order to stay ahead of the competition.”

The platform has already been successfully piloted in South Africa and will now roll out to Avon’s key markets this year, starting with the UK, South Africa and Avon’s largest markets in Latin America.

Herbalife Nutrition Net Sales Up 10% for 2018

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Herbalife Nutrition Ltd. (NYSE: HLF) reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2018.

Net sales for the full year 2018 were $4.9 billion, an increase of 10 percent compared to full year 2017. Fourth quarter reported net sales of $1.2 billion increased 9 percent compared to the prior year period.

“In 2018, we continued to show the strength of our business in providing premier nutrition products to distributors and consumers around the world,” said Michael O. Johnson, chairman and CEO of Herbalife Nutrition. “We achieved double-digit net sales growth and record volume points, enhancing our value for shareholders. In 2019, our momentum will continue as global trends drive demand for our products and business opportunity, and our distributors deliver value to their customers.”

Sales were up in all regions with the exception of South and Central America, which was down 7.7 percent.

  • Asia Pacific – increase of 15.0%
  • North America – increase of 12.9%
  • EMEA – increase of 12.5%
  • Mexico – increase of 5.7%
  • China – increase of 13.7%

 

To read the full Herbalife Nutrition 2018 financial report, click here.

Euromonitor’s Top 5 Digital Consumer Trends in 2019

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Global market research company Euromonitor International recently revealed the top five digital trends defining commerce this year.

Digital wellness, autonomous outlets, voice, customer-led experiences and the expansion of super apps will have the most impact on commerce in 2019.

According to the company, for the first time ever more than half of the global population will have internet access this year. However, consumers are emphasizing a balance between time spent online versus offline, becoming more intentional and selective of their digital activities.

“Increased connectivity combined with technological advances has created massive upheavals in consumer expectations, lowered the barriers of entry for fast-moving companies and inspired new digital-first commerce avenues,” said Michelle Evans, head of digital consumer at Euromonitor International.

In 2019, autonomous outlets will continue gaining traction as companies invest in this technology to enter new channels and develop innovative business models.

The company says voice commerce, which accounted for only 1 percent of online purchases in the U.S. last year, will increase to 5 percent by 2023. With voice-enabled devices becoming mainstream, companies should prepare for new use cases to emerge and integrate these functions into existing strategies.

Improving the customer journey is the top concern for business leaders in the coming year, according to Euromonitor International’s Digital Consumer Industry Insights Survey. Technology will help companies deliver truly curated, personalized interactions, putting consumers in control of their shopping experiences.

Super apps—mobile apps that combine several features into a single platform—are going global with consumers and companies embracing their multifunctionality.

Euromonitor International further exploring their impact in a webinar on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 9 a.m. CST. To register for the webinar, click here.

Kannaway Places Significant Initial Purchase Order for Chewing Gum

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Kannaway, the first hemp lifestyle network to offer cannabidiol (CBD) hemp botanical products, has placed a significant order for chewing gum with AXIM.

Medical Marijuana, Inc., the first-ever publicly traded cannabis company in the United States, announced that its subsidiary Kannaway has placed a significant initial purchase order from major investment company AXIM®Biotechnologies (OTC: AXIM), a world leader in cannabinoid research and development, for its nutraceutical chewing gum product.

“Kannaway is proud to partner with such a well-known and scientifically driven organization to bring our customers a superior and innovative product that provides them with a quick, pre-dosed way to promote overall wellness through the use of CBD,” said Kannaway CEO Blake Schroeder. “We plan to build a whole brand around the nutraceutical product and look forward to continuing our partnership in the future after a successful launch.”

The product sold under this purchase order is the company’s nutraceutical cannabinoid-based chewing gum containing 50 mg of full-spectrum hemp oil and 10 mg of CBD per piece. The product is made using AXIM’s proprietary microencapsulation methodology and utilizes the company’s patented chewing gum delivery system that allows the CBD to enter the bloodstream more quickly and efficiently through absorption through the buccal cavity, increasing the bioavailability of the CBD.

“We are excited to work with such a large and well-respected direct-selling company such as Kannaway and to bring our nutraceutical chewing gum product to their worldwide audience,” AXIM CEO John W. Huemoeller said. “This is our largest initial order from a singular customer to date and it presents a whole new revenue opportunity for the nutraceutical division of AXIM. Our flagship nutraceutical chewing gum product utilizes AXIM’s patented chewing gum delivery system for cannabinoids that creates a high-quality and user-friendly experience that we are confident Kannaway consumers will enjoy and be able to distribute through their networks successfully.”

WorldVentures Expands to the Philippines

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WorldVentures recently announced that it has recently opened in the Philippines.

“Thanks to our leadership team, we can offer more people around the world the opportunity to live with purpose and take advantage of a membership built on unforgettable experiences,” CEO of WorldVentures Josh Paine said. “As we expand into new markets, we continue to develop our perspective by adding new vibrant cultures into our community.”

Since 2015, WorldVentures has hosted 465 DreamTrips in the Philippines, accounting for 10,427 rooms booked over 35,497 total room nights, with 20,979 adults and 2,140 children traveling.

“The culture of WorldVentures of bringing more fun, freedom, fulfillment into people’s lives and their communities is a perfect fit for the Filipino hospitality,” said Enrico Garcia, WorldVentures’ New Emerging Markets Manager for Southeast Asia. “With DreamTrips, travelers will experience world-class and worry-free travel while being treated like a VIP. Now, every Filipino can enjoy premium travel at exclusive members-only pricing to create those priceless and timeless experiences with family and friends.”

DreamTrips Members in the Philippines can enjoy professionally curated travel opportunities and have access to a loyalty program at select restaurants, spas and entertainment venues around the globe.

Oriflame Local Currency Sales Up for 2018; Euro Sales Down

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Switzerland-based cosmetics giant Oriflame recently reported sales results for the fourth quarter of 2018 and the full-year 2018.

For the three months ended December 31, 2018:

  • Local currency sales increased by 1% and Euro sales decreased by 3% to €370.3m (€380.1m). Euro sales amounted to €359.3m* in accordance with IFRS.
  • Number of registered actives increased by 1% and amounted to 3.1m.

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2018:

  • Local currency sales increased by 3% and Euro sales decreased by 3% to €1,318.9m (€1,363.1m). Euro sales amounted to €1,278.8m* in accordance with IFRS.
  • Euro sales in the largest market in each Global Business Area amounted to; China €206.2m (€190.4m), Russia €198.6 (€241.5m), Mexico €83.6m (€88.5m) and Poland €57.1m (€51.5m).

“2018 has been a year of mixed performance for Oriflame,” said CEO Magnus Brännström. “On one hand we faced challenging market conditions in some of our key markets and difficult comparables with the 50th anniversary activities prior year. On the other hand, our strategic categories—skin care and wellness—continued to increase their share of the overall sales and online activities remained on high levels. While the slower development in Asia and Turkey during the fourth quarter was disappointing, the improved sales momentum in most other regions demonstrates the strength of our balanced geographical footprint.”

 

To view the full Oriflame Q4 2018 report, click here.

Nu Skin Q4 2018 Sales Up 3%; Up 18% for Year

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Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: NUS) announced fourth-quarter and 2018 financial results.

Revenue for the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2018 was $693.3 million, up 3 percent from the fourth quarter of 2017.

“We delivered another strong quarter despite a challenging comparison from the $130 million LumiSpa introduction in the prior year,” said Ritch Wood, chief executive officer. “We grew our revenue 18 percent for the year, with growth coming from virtually all of our segments. We were also encouraged that our customer acquisition strategy resulted in 16 percent growth in our customer base. And while our sales leader numbers were down year-over-year due to the LumiSpa introduction, we are pleased with 16 percent growth in sales leaders since the first quarter.”

For the years, revenue was $2.68 billion, up 18 percent from 2017 revenue of $2.28 billion. Mainland China ($886,472), America/Pacific ($385,034) and South Korea ($373,357) were the company’s largest markets.

 

To read the full Nu Skin Q4 2018 financial report, click here.