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124 August 2015 | beautystorebusiness.com News MURAD SUES CVS Murad has filed an unfair business practices lawsuit against CVS for what it says is the unauthorized selling of diverted and defaced Murad products in CVS stores and on CVS.com, the skincare company announced June 8. In the lawsuit, Murad alleges that because CVS has no authorized relationship with it, CVS secretly diverts Murad products from unknown sources to sell Murad's highly sought-after products in CVS stores and on CVS.com. Murad also alleges in the lawsuit that many of its products sold by CVS have been defaced—that they have been stripped of Murad's quality-control tracking features such as hologram-protection seals and unique batch codes. According to Murad, the tracking features are used to help prevent tampering and protect the public from counterfeit goods, health risks and other potentially serious harms—and to help customers communicate back to Murad about the products that they purchased. In addition, in the lawsuit Murad seeks an injunction to stop CVS from continuing to engage in such conduct so that the public can be protected and that the integrity of the Murad brand can be safeguarded. "Murad is dedicated to providing its consumers with the best possible products," says Richard Murad, general manager for Murad. "When you buy a Murad product from an authorized retailer either domestically or internationally, you know the product has been subjected to Murad's top-notch quality-control procedures and that it meets the high standards of the founder, Howard Murad, M.D., FAAD. Our relationships with authorized retailers such as SEPHORA, ULTA, Nordstrom, Massage Envy and numerous spas and salons around the world validate our mission to deliver high-quality merchandise to the consumer through trusted retail outlets. This will not change, and on principle we will continue to take unrelenting legal action against anyone who threatens Murad's brand integrity or otherwise poses a risk to the public by defacing the quality- control features we put on our products." The company notes in the complaint that it has identified various instances where CVS has violated Murad's copyright by reproducing images and text from Murad.com to advertise diverted Murad products on CVS.com. CVC CAPITAL PARTNERS BUYS HUGE EUROPEAN CHAIN DOUGLAS CVC Capital Partners announced June 1 that funds advised by CVC have signed an agreement to acquire Douglas—with its 1,700-plus stores in 19 European countries—from a holding jointly held by Advent International and the Kreke family. The purchase price wasn't disclosed, and the transac- tion is subject to regulatory approval. The Kreke family has also agreed with CVC to reinvest in Douglas through a joint-holding company owned by CVC and the Kreke family. Dr. Henning Kreke continues to serve as CEO of Douglas. "Over the past two years, Douglas has become the largest specialist-beauty retailer in Europe," says Dr. Kreke. "It is renowned for its clear customer focus, an innovative product portfolio and an impressive in-store and ecommerce presence. We thank our employees for their continuous commitment and Advent International for the valuable support in aligning our business and positioning it for further growth. We look forward to partnering with CVC as a reliable and strong, long-term partner that will support the company with additional industry expertise and financial resources to ensure our continued growth." Søren Vestergaard-Poulsen, managing partner at CVC, states, "We are delighted to have come to an agreement to acquire Douglas together with the Kreke family. Douglas is a market leader with attractive growth prospects due to its strong management team, extensive store network, leading online presence and dedicated employees. We are very much looking forward to working with the family and the management to grow this European beauty champion further over the long term." The acquisition of Douglas doesn't include the book retailer Thalia and the fashion retailer AppelrathCüpper, which are held by separate holding companies under the ownership of Advent and the Kreke family. PBA APPOINTS NEW MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Jody Ryan is the Professional Beauty Association's new director of marketing & communication. Ryan has more than 17 years of marketing and communications experience—including marketing, media, brand engagement and strategic planning. Prior to joining the PBA, Ryan was the marketing commu- nications director for Redflex Traffic Systems, an international leader in photo-enforcement. She also has worked as marketing communications director for the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. Image courtesy of the Professional Beauty Association Image courtesy of the Hilton Meadowlands Jody Ryan EBC 2016 TO BE HELD IN EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY The next Eastern Buying Conference will not be—as previously announced— at the Garden State Exhibit Center in Somerset, New Jersey, April 2-3. Instead, it is returning to a site longtime exhibitors and attendees are more familiar with: East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it was held for many years before moving to Atlantic City, New Jersey, and then to Somerset this past April. The new venue is the Hilton Meadowlands, which used to be the Sheraton Meadowlands—near the Meadowlands Sports Complex and 13 miles from New York City. In addition, the EBC 2016 dates have been moved to one week later than previously announced: April 9-10 (a Saturday and a Sunday, with setup on Friday, April 8). Look for more information and updates at the show's website, easternbuyingconference.com. For more information about next year's EBC, contact EBC show manager Patty Paletto, easternbuyingconf@verizon. net, 201.489.8096 (telephone/fax). GOLDFADEN MD EXPANDS RETAIL INTO NET-A-PORTER Goldfaden MD products are now available via online retailer Net-A-Porter. Beyond its well-curated cat- egories of luxury handbags, stilettos and lingerie, Net-A-Porter offers high-end skin care, makeup and hair care. "Net-A-Porter has really transformed the way that consumers shop and offers such a unique shopping experience by fusing together beauty and fashion under one umbrella—a true differentiation in the mar- ketplace," says Lauren Wolk-Goldfaden, vice president of sales at Goldfaden MD. "Net-A-Porter is a brand that we truly admire, and we're thrilled to be part of its highly curated beauty offerings."