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Avon to hire more Chinese staff

By Jiang Jingjing (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-07-21 09:01

Cosmetics firm Avon said yesterday that it plans to hire more sales staff in China in the second half of this year, in a bid to further expand across the country.

However the company would not reveal the final number of sales staff it hopes to recruit.

By the end of last month, Avon had recruited 114,408 licensed sales promoters, and more than 31,000  applicants were at various stages of the certification process.

The massive number of staff has been recruited within just four months, after the company was awarded the first direct-selling license in China.

Andrea Jung, Avon's chairwoman and chief executive officer, said the company is very pleased with the rollout of the new business model.

"The high numbers of licensed sales promoters recruited in such a short time reflects the great appeal of the Avon earnings opportunity in China, and enhances our confidence in the future of our business here," Jung said in Beijing.

She went on to say that China has the largest long-term growth potential for Avon, and that the company is committed to further investment in the country.

Admitting Avon had to weather the depression in China last year, Jung said the business from its 5,700 boutiques "is being stabilized," and that the sales "will go up soon."

"It (Avon's direct selling) is a profitable business for both the company and the sales promoters," she said, adding the company's direct selling experts back in the United States have offered solid support to the China team.

Training is at the top of the company's agenda at the moment. Making sure that the more than 110,000 promoters represent the company's image correctly is the biggest challenge for the firm, said Jung.