Avon Products Inc. on Monday tapped Sheri McCoy to replace CEO Andrea Jung later this month. McCoy takes the reins of an iconic but struggling company, which became a fixture in households across the country as legions of “Avon ladies” went door to door selling makeup.
Here’s a look at the iconic cosmetics company since it was founded 126 years ago:
1886 — Traveling book salesman David McConnell starts the California Perfume Company after realizing women are far more interested in his perfume samples. He recruits his first female sales representative, a 50-year-old wife and mother of two named P.F.E. Albee.
1895 — The company opens a manufacturing headquarters in Suffern, N.Y. Two years later, the company will expand the facility to include a laboratory.
1896 — The company issues its first brochure.
1902 — The California Perfume Company has 10,000 sales representatives.
1905 — Outlook magazine, which offers advice and company news, is introduced for representatives.
1906 — The company’s first ads appear in Good Housekeeping magazine
1914 — Operations begin in Montreal, marking the company’s first international expansion
1916 — The California Perfume Company incorporates in New York state.
1928 —The Avon name is used for the first time on products, including a vanity set, talc and toothbrush cleanser. The name is a reference to the river that runs through Stratford-on-Avon, the birthplace of McConnell’s favorite playwright, William Shakespeare.
1929 — The Avon logo, introduced on a cosmetics line, includes a sketch of the cottage of Shakespeare’s wife.
1946 — Avon goes public with over-the-counter stock.
1953 — Avon’s first TV advertising is launched.
1961 — Avon launches Skin-So-Soft, which will become one of its most recognizable brands.
1964 — Avon Products Inc. is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “AVP.”
1971 — The company starts selling jewelry.
1973 — The company develops a computer program to store ingredient formulations.
1979 — Avon’s purchase of Tiffany &Co. kicks off an acquisition spree that runs through the 1980s. The company expands into medical equipment, home health-care services, specialty chemicals and retirement and nursing homes. Each of those entities is sold off by 1994 as the company focuses on its core business.
1990 — Avon enters China as a direct seller, moving to a retail model in 1998 when the government bans direct selling. In 2006, Avon resumes direct selling when the Chinese government lifts the ban.
1999 — Avon names Andrea Jung as its first female CEO.
2012 — Avon names its second female CEO, Sheri McCoy, to succeed Jung.
Source: Avon Products Inc.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
