In the 12 months ending April 2014, sales of U.S. prestige men’s fragrance products were $916 million, flat with the prior year. However, the men’s prestige market saw a boost in sales in its largest market, the South. “Winning with consumers takes both national clout and a local flavor. While the Northeast and Pacific regions often get a lot of attention, the example in men’s fragrance shows that the South is important for today’s prestige fragrance marketers,” said Karen Grant, vice president and global industry analyst, The NPD Group, Inc. “Harnessing the buying power of each region, the South, North, East and West, especially during key holiday seasons, can make the difference to drive positive momentum in sales for the industry overall.” Some learnings from the past 12 months revealed:

• The southern region of the U.S. represents 39% of overall prestige fragrance sales, and $371 million in men’s alone.

• Between May 2013 and April 2014, the South was not only the largest region in terms of prestige men’s fragrance sales (40%), but it was also the top performing region, with nearly 2% growth, compared to the previous 12-month period.

• Juices were the primary driver of prestige men’s fragrance growth in the South during this time period, up 2%, followed by gift sets.