The new Shoppers Drug Mart on South Bayview is a great asset to the street. But it also throws into sharp relief the amazing battle for the cosmetic dollar. This knock down drag ’em out fight has been underway for a few years. The main combatants are The Bay, Shoppers Drug Mart, Holt Renfrew and Sears, not necessarily in that order when it comes to getting an upper hand. The new Shoppers has a wonderful array of cosmetics and scents ranging through Lancome, Clinique, Clarins, Shishedo, Lise Watier, Guerlain, Biotherm, Stila and Chanel and Prada Fragrances. For the young there are hot lines like Smashbox, Anna Sui, Stila and Benefit. In a drugstore, mind you. We’ll never know just how much money Shoppers, or any other retailer, makes from cosmetics. The results are well buried in general revenues. But it’s widely known that the margins are very generous. Some say huge. And this is what fuels the competition.
