Inside Hawkins' $10 million empire

Jen Hawkins spoke with news.com.au's Melissa Hoyer earlier this year about juggling fame, fortune and family.

YOU know her as the former cheerleader turned Miss Universe turned TV host and face of department store Myer.

But there's more than meets the eye to Jennifer Hawkins.

Inside Jennifer Hawkins Inc

Jennifer Hawkins' eye-popping dress at ASTRA Awards

Pictures: Jennifer Hawkins sizzles

She has played the blushing bride, excitable TV host, expert runway strutter and red carpet glamour puss. Now it's entrepreneur. Employer. Designer. Property investor. Sharemarket trader.

Hawkins' bombshell blue-eyed, blonde-haired good looks disguise a sharp business brain.

In the almost decade since she won the Miss Universe title, Hawkins has leveraged her success to build a more than $10 million business and property empire.

Pictures: Jennifer Hawkins dyes hair pink

Pictures: Jennifer Hawkins' honeymoon in Paris

Jennifer Inc today spans lucrative endorsement deals with some of Australia's biggest companies, including department store Myer, Loveable lingerie, Coca-Cola Amatil's Mount Franklin water and Pharmacare brands Bioglan vitamins and Redwin Skincare.

After wrapping up multi-million dollar TV deals with Seven Network and Nine Network, there's a new contract to host the current season of Australia's Next Top Model.

Jennifer Hawkins arrives at the 11th Annual ASTRA Awards at The Sydney Theatre on July 25, 2013. Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

Then there's the three trademarked brands she now owns in her own right: a swimwear range COZI by Jennifer Hawkins, the shoes JLH by Jennifer Hawkins and now JBronze, a new range of self-tanning products to be launched this week.

Together with builder-slash-model husband, Jake Wall, she has amassed a property portfolio containing six properties worth around $7 million. Before flying to Bali this year for their dream wedding, the couple managed to sneak in another purchase - $1.66 million for a knock down rebuild in their home suburb of North Curl Curl on Sydney's Northern Beaches.

Jake builds the homes and Jen builds the businesses.

"I invest my money. I'm not one to throw it around," she tells me as we meet for a one-on-one interview, away from the cameras around the boardroom table of her management company's offices in Surry Hills, Sydney.

Hawkins attributes her wise early investments in property to the strong work and savings ethic instilled by her parents (she owns three investment properties in her home town of Newcastle). She is also a substantial share investor, taking out about $1 million in shares in the 2009 Myer sharemarket listing.

"Even before Miss Universe, I saved hard for my first car. I worked three jobs to get that."

Immediately after winning the crown, in April 2005, she established her own company, Universal Strategies, of which she remains the sole director and company secretary.

"From the very beginning it has always been about making the best of your opportunities and making a plan for longevity in the industry."

In a celebrity industry with a notoriously short shelf life, Hawkins has played an clever game, leveraging lucrative brand endorsements into joint venture opportunities to promote her growing list of brands.

"From the start, I wanted to build businesses that are relevant to my lifestyle and that I'm really passionate about."

She reveals she turned down her first endorsement offer: half a million dollars to push a weight loss pill. "I just said no way, no way. That's just ridiculous. It's not about the money."

But the offers kept coming and Hawkins has since secured a long list of lucrative endorsements, including Pepsi, skincare brand Lux, Covergirl makeup, a luxury waterfront property development in Hong Kong, Audi and Range Rover cars, Louis Vuitton and Siren shoes.

She is almost apologetic for her success. "You don't want to throw it in people's faces. It's not about look at me and look at my money."

"When those opportunities came up I just grabbed them and I feel very grateful for them, but I also worked hard for them."

Making the leap from supermodel to business woman, as pioneered by the likes of Heidi Klum and Elle Macpherson, will requires a delicate transition from simply promoting other company's products to developing and distributing your own

It is a transition Hawkins is well on her way to making.

Shortly after signing with Myer in 2007, she approached the company with a proposal to design and manufacture her own line of swimwear. A year later, COZI by Jennifer Hawkins swimwear was launched and is about to enter its sixth season.

Jennifer Hawkins tells herself to 'suck it up' as she freezes in a photo shoot. Picture: Jennifer Hawkins/Instagram Source: Supplied

Later, when Mount Franklin approached Hawkins in late 2011 to promote its new "Lightly Sparkling" brand of sparkling mineral water, she cleverly negotiated to launch a limited edition bottle featuring design patterns from her swimwear range.

When it came to her passion for dangerously high heals (why she needs them at 183cm I'm not sure) she jumped at the chance to become the face of Melbourne shoe designer Siren in 2010. Again, she immediately set about designing her own range for Siren, before stepping out in 2010 with her own brand JLH by Jennifer Hawkins - the L stands for Louise.

More recently, in 2012 when she became brand ambassador for Australian health and beauty products company Pharmacare, makers of Bioglan vitamins and Redwin Skin care, she was also in negotiations to have them manufacture her own range of self-tanning products, JBronze, which she is now launching.

"People may think I just popped my name on a little bottle. But I had to go to the factory and work out different scents and get people to trial them and trial them myself. I enjoy that side of things."

For the avoidance of doubt, we discuss - at length - her pricing strategies for her products. She tells me she has twice switched manufacturers for her high heals in search of the best trade off between structural heal integrity and price. Her first season of shoes retailed for around $250 but the new range will be more affordable. "I'm going to lower the cost of production and lower the price point to around $150 to $179.95," she explains before apologising. ''This is probably too boring for your story."

If anyone is under the impression Hawkins is not across the details of her business, rest assured.

Likewise, the new JBronze range is designed to sit in the mid-point, accessible range of $24.99 and up. In just three weeks, Hawkins has already lined up 1000 distribution points including Myer's 80 stores, plus hundreds of pharmacies including Terry White.

It will be her most widely sold product yet and the one about which she says she is most passionate.

A risk? For sure. But a calculated one. Hawkins quotes figures that, in a tough retail environment, sales of self tanning lotions are up 22 per cent a year, tapping into the niche for more health conscious products.

But the burgeoning business woman bristles when I ask how many employees she has. "Oh no, I'm not saying that," she says, again aware of not wanting to be seen to gloat about her empire. But yes, she is an employer. "It's my company, so yes. It's nice to be able to hire people who have experience in certain areas."

So what next? Unsurprisingly Hawkins nominates Heidi Klum, Elle Macpherson and Jennifer Lopez as the businesspeople she most admires. "I'm not putting myself on their level. They're amazing women. It's so great that they can empower women."

According to Tim Harcourt, the Airport Economist and consultant to Austrade who has helped celebrities like Megan Gale, Elle Macpherson and Hugh Jackman market themselves abroad, there is a well worn path abroad if Hawkins chooses to tread it.

She says she has already had offers by foreign online retailers to sell her COZI range, which is available exclusively in Myer stores here, to an international market.

Records with IP Australia show she has established six trademarks, covering products from sunglasses to beach towels to handbags and purses.

The question for Myer chief executive, Bernie Brookes, is whether the blonde bombshell has reached a level of success that means she is no longer seen as an "attainable" image for the typical Myer shopper.

The pair are scheduled to meet in the second week of August to discuss cessation or continuation of her contract.

The outcome will depend on the results of focus group studies into whether Hawkins adds tangible returns to shareholders, or if they'd be better of with someone younger and cheaper.

For her part, Hawkins is keen to extend the relationship. "I would love to. I'm a shareholder so I'm always going to be a part of it."

A contract extension with Myer would crown a whirlwind year for the former Miss Universe in which she has got married, been on honeymoon, purchased a new property, hosted a new show and launched a brand of bronzing products.

Hawkins turns 30 this December and shows no signs of slowing down. "I feel more confident and more like a woman. It's a calmer feeling."

The girl next door is all grown up.

Jennifer Hawkins reveals what underwear she prefers while modelling a dress that drops. File vision, 1 January 2008.

Jennifer Hawkins launches her own self-tanning range Jbronze. Source: Supplied

JEN INC.

COMPANIES

A PRIVATE company called Universal Strategies established in 2005 after the Miss Universe victory of which Hawkins remains the sole director and company secretary.

ANOTHER company called Hawkins (Aust) Pty Ltd, a personal trust which holds some of her property and assets.

BRANDS

SWIMWEAR: A swimwear brand COZI by Jennifer Hawkins launched in 2008 and stocked exclusively through Myer's 80 stores.

SHOES: A shoe brand JLH by Jennifer Hawkins launched in 2010 stocked in Myer, Seduce Clothing, Wanted Shoes, Nina Maya and styletread.com.au

BRONZERS: A self-tanning lotion and bronzer range of products J Bronze, launching soon to be socked in hundreds of pharmacies, including Terry White, and Myer stores.

AND MORE ... Universal Strategies has registered trademarks covering a host of other products including sunglasses, beach clothing, bed linen, handbags and purses.

ENDORSEMENTS

A SIX year contract as face of the Myer brand is set to expire in November having earned her an estimated $5 million.

A CONTRACT with Coca-Cola Amatil's Mount Franklin brand of "Lightly Sparkling" mineral water was also a platform to promote her COZI range of swimwear patterns.

A SEVEN year continuing stint as the face of lingerie brand Lovable, which was bought out in 2011 by the same company that launched Elle Macpherson's lingerie range.

A BRAND ambassadorship with Pharmacare to promote its brands Bioglan vitamins and Redwin skincare. Pharmacare also manufactures her bronzer.

OTHER endorsements have included Audi and Range Rover cars, Covergirl makeup, Luis Vuitton bags, Pepsi, Lux skincare, Marie Claire Asia, Siren shoes and a Hong Kong waterfront property development.

TELEVISION CONTRACTS

CURRENT host of Fox 8's Australia's Next Top Model

FIVE year contract with Seven Network presenting on The Great Outdoors worth a rumoured $700,000 to $1 million a year expired in 2009.

FORMER reporter on Nine Network's Getaway travel show.

PROPERTY

THREE investment properties in her home town of Newcastle purchased between October 2006 and October 2008 for which she paid a combined $1.4 million.

A TWO-bedroom flat in Bondi for which she paid $895,000 in 2007.

A LUXURY architect designed home in the North Curl Curl or which the couple paid $1.375 million for the land and at least another million dollars to build.

PAID $1.66 million in March this year for a knockdown rebuilt in the same suburb with a development application estimating $900,000 in works.

SHARES

Owns shares worth around $1 million thanks to substantial shareholding in Myer after being the face of its sharemarket listing in 2009.

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Inside Hawkins' $10 million empire

Dengan url

https://donyblackedet.blogspot.com/2013/07/inside-hawkins-10-million-empire.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Inside Hawkins' $10 million empire

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Inside Hawkins' $10 million empire

sebagai sumbernya