Unilever Buys Dollar Shave Club

This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

Unilever purchased the Dollar Shave Club for $1 billion. Ben Thompson, writing at Stratechery, has a really good analysis of the purchase and how it fits with the disruptive power of the internet:

Probably the most important fact when it comes to analyzing Unilever’s purchase of Dollar Shave Club is the $1 billion price: in the world of consumer packaged goods (CPG) it is shockingly low. After all, only eleven years ago Procter & Gamble (P&G) bought Gillette, the market leader in shaving, for a staggering $57 billion.

To be sure Gillette is still dominant — the brand controls 70 percent of the global blades and razors market — but there is little question that Dollar Shave Club is a much better deal, in every sense of the word.
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That seems like a decent price, no? Gillette was doing about $8b in sales a year vs DSC doing about $200m a year. Plus DSC was bought in cash vs Gillette being bought in stocks.

 

Had no idea that this company did so much business.

 

yup, fair model pricing

 

I've had a subscription to DSC since 2011.

I can't rave about it enough.

I will never go back.

 

IIRC isn't DSC kinda a ripoff?

I think you can buy their razors for like, 5$ for a 200-pack or something like that

 

I'm not sure if it is that price, but you can certainly get the stick and carts they use much cheaper online. They have acknowledged this in the past and said you are paying for the convenience of having it shipped to you and not storing 100 carts at your house at a time.

 

And that, my friend, is seeing an opportunity and putting it into profit. Brilliant play on laziness.

 

This is pretty much all hygienic products. You can make toothpaste, soap, laundry detergent, etc. for extremely cheap.

 

Pace 4 Cartridges (6 Pack), (FRA1040)

Dorco is who manufactures the blades. And, basically Dorco’s price advantage relative to Dollar Shave Club has decreased significantly from when they launched.

 

Me too, I love how I can shut off my account when ever I get way too many blades...that shave butter is the greatest!

 

I use a safety razor and bought a big pack of blades when I first started a few years ago. Haven't had to buy any shaving supplies since

 

Shave butter and the post shave moisturizers are staples for me.

I have not bought anything else since they've expanded their line of products.

Very happy with this subscription service. Could not ask for more (or less).

 

What are you using for soap/cream?

 

Arko. One stick has lasted me 3 years and I'm just now getting low

 

Impressive you have gotten it to last that long. I dont care for the scent of Arko too much. You should check out Shave Products - Shave Soap - Stirling Soap Company for some variety in scents. It is more expensive than Arko, but it protects better, and smells worlds better (IMO).

 

Cool, I'll check that out.

It's lasted me as long as it had because I have what they call baby face and I only shave once a week on average

 

I will warn you that shave soaps and creams can get pretty expensive, but there are some great companies out there that make some exquisite soaps that take shaving from a chore to a joy.

 

Truth here. Have you tried Barrister & Mann's Latha soaps?

 

I havent tried any of their Latha line, but I have quite a few of their regular line and a few LE.

 

I've been using Taylor of Old Bond Street, ever try? These seem way cheaper, any that you would say are comparible?

 

I use their Sandalwood cream from time to time. I enjoy the scent quite a bit, but I feel like there is less protection in the shave from it. If I am in a hurry, I dont reach for it, but if I know I can take my time and not be distracted at all, then I go for it. I'm not sure if you get it from Amazon or not, but they usually go between $13-$15 I believe. In that price range and on Amazon I would check out Chiseled Face Groomatorium. If you are fine with not buying from Amazon, then check out Mickey Lee Soapworks » Product Categories » Shave Soap They are currently in the process of a cross country move so they arent shipping anything for a few more weeks, but they make some amazing soaps and run between $14-$16. The Drunken Goat is a scent of Guiness Stout and cookies, which many fall in love with. There is also Barrister and Mann, while their regular line runs around $20, they do have what they call their Latha line that costs $11. I havent tried the Latha at all, but they claim that it is the best on the market at that price and still giving plenty of protection. Based on their other products I would believe it. B&M is the soaps that I reach for the most. Latha – Barrister & Mann Fine Shaving Products

 

Artifex Pereo - Paper Ruled All might be something to check out today, have enjoyed their other releases for the most part...