The Cape Family: 75 years of history for Groupe Marcelle

It’s a summer’s day when I go to the former Montréal headquarters of Lise Watier, now the headquarters of their parent company, Groupe Marcelle, to meet Mr. David Cape, president of this family business that includes Marcelle, Watier, Annabelle and C.W. Beggs and Sons, the only men’s brand of Canada’s largest cosmetics manufacturer, which celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2024, and which we’re going to focus on today.

The origin

First of all, you might wonder where the name Marcelle came from (we will come back to C.W. Beggs soon). “We speculate on this, but we are not 100% sure. The brand Marcelle was developed by this gentleman C.W. (Charles Waugh) Beggs back in the United States in the 1870, or something around that date. Eventually, it was owned by a dermatologist in Chicago in the 1940s. My grandfather, Victor Cape, was a pharmacist in Montréal; he had a drugstore, Cape’s Rexall Drugs, in the Snowdon neighbourhood. Having his full-time job, he wanted to start a business for his children, my father and my uncle, and he had a link with the dermatologist in Chicago, and he imports its products into Canada by distributing the product in the different pharmacies… and the business grows up from there.”

Mr. Harry Cape, one of the pillars of Groupe Marcelle’s next generation

And then came David’s son Harry, the brand manager for Marcelle and C.W. Beggs and Sons. The latter studied in chemistry in Lyon, France and worked a lot on the development of the C.W. Beggs and Sons brand. “I started in the lab and now I am in marketing,” he adds. “The men’s skincare market is interesting, it’s a bit crowded and we’re trying to find our place by educating men on why they need skincare, different products, different needs, and there is a lot happening.”

“Getting men engaged in this conversation is important because in general, men are not as open or ready to have those discussions as women, and we try to find how to bring that discussion around. Also, C.W. Beggs and Sons is the only men’s brand to be recognized by the Canadian Dermatology Association and we have that credibility to say, “Yes, we know skin.” We are here to give you men a reliable product, and we have the seal of approval that will make the difference on men’s skin,” concludes the brand manager for C.W. Beggs and Sons.

What is the future of C.W. Beggs and Sons for the next five years?

“The C.W. Beggs brand is very young at only 7 years (Editor’s Note: although the brand already existed in the past, it was brought back to life by the Montréal-based Canadian group), we want to bring that skincare credibility and attention to detail on the men’s side where many men’s products are driven by fragrance or models,” states David, the Groupe Marcelle president.

David Cape adds that it’s fascinating that the top-selling in categories men’s skincare are body wash and deodorant, which is not the case for women. They want to think about their skin. The president continue, “To be able to have a way that the men can enter into that space, being approachable and keeping the product simple is really critical.” Harry, the brand manager adds: “One of our differentiating elements is that we are fragrance-free, as many men products are driven by strong fragrance which is still in the male culture, especially in the younger generation.”

A business in evolution

“This business is constantly changing as well. As the face of Canadian cosmetics, our innovation team is always travelling around the world to look for trends, new products, etc. and how they can fit in the Canadian market. As we’re growing as a company, we have access to more research and understand more about what’s going on in the broader market. Innovation is really important. We continue to work with our retailers to grow, to distribute, focus on building our brand, making it clear to consumers what our message is. We’re also growing in the online space, and we are also looking at other markets. Ultimately, it’s about hard work. And when the opportunity comes, we will do another acquisition. At the end of the day, we know skincare, colours, cosmetics, and fragrance. So we really understand those areas and we’re going to stick to what we’re good at, not trying something that we’re not,” adds David.      

Made in Montréal, at the headquarters

One thing you might not know is that at Groupe Marcelle, the team (marketing, sales, and innovation) is the one that oversees the full lifecycle of the products, from ingredients and formulation through to distribution and marketing. The vast majority of their local competitors in cosmetics only have control over the latter part of the product lifecycle, and do not formulate or manufacture in-house. “And people love this industry, they want to work in cosmetics, and work at Groupe Marcelle. It’s exciting because we’re doing everything. For our new products, we have a database of Canadian consumers that are trying our products, which is really, really great,” says the executive.     

As for their operations and market share in the United States, even if it is a tougher market, they are persistent. “When Harry came in, and his brother also, they built our Amazon distribution network and our website. Our attitude is that the consumer should be able to get our products wherever they want, and that’s why we are distributed over 3,500 stores across Canada, not only for C.W. Beggs and Sons, but for all the portfolio,” says David.

Groupe Marcelle: A Family Business

Started by David’s grandfather, who passed away in 1977, Groupe Marcelle is still a private company, with David’s father still coming in the office every morning at 85 years old, and two of his sons working for the company. The company may be a smaller player in cosmetics on a global scale, but they have 350 employees in Montréal, which makes them a local powerhouse. “People are here because we have a vision. We don’t work by quarters, we’re doing what is right for our company in the long term. We can wait to launch a new product. I’ve been in this position in the company for 30 years, and I plan to stay many more. And we have great minority shareholders such as La Caisse de Dépôt et Placements du Québec (CDPQ), which came in when we acquired Lise Watier ten years ago,” David says.

Referring to their pride in being a Canadian brand, David added: “We also want to use local suppliers and Canadian ingredients such as Labrador Tea, and many others, in our different products. I was at the Calgary Stampede a few days ago, and I could feel that Canadians are proud of having local products. Which is great, as we see our growth with no limits.”        

The David Cape road to Groupe Marcelle

You might wonder how David Cape came into his role at the head of the company; it’s an interesting story. “I went to school in the United States, and lived there for a few years. I worked in tech companies such as Microsoft, in the optimization and mathematics departments, etc., but it was always exciting for me to build something. And when the opportunity came up 30 years ago, I did come back. It was a much smaller company at the time, but I love growing and adding capabilities to the business, and I have a great team of people that I love. And Montréal is a great city to live in — I love Montréal.” 

If you are curious about the availability of the products, C.W. Beggs and Sons is distributed in many pharmacies such as Jean Coutu, Pharmaprix/Shoppers Drug Mart, as well as on Amazon and C.W Beggs and Sons’s own e-commerce website for Canada and the United States as well. To facilite the process, we listed all the products below on the website, as well as on Amazon.

The CW Beggs and Sons’s products:

• Hair and Body
  • Ultra-Moisturizer Hand and Body  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Ultra-Moisturizing Cream — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • 3-in-1 wash body face and hair — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Defense Moisturizer SPF 30  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
• Energy+
  • Energy + Face Wash  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Energy + Moisturizer  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Face Scrub  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Energizing Eye Gel  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Moisturizing Lip Balm  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
• Oil Control
  • Oil Control + Face Wash  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Oil Control + Moisturizer  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Oil Control + Face Scrub  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Moisturizing Lip Balm  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
• Sensitive Skin
  • Sensitive Skin Shave Foam  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Sensitive Skin After Shave  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Sensitive Skin Moisturizer — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Sensitive Skin Shave Cream  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Sensitive Skin Face Wash  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
• Anti-Aging
  • Regenerating Moisturizer  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Regenerating 2-in-1 serum  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Anti-Wrinkle Defense Moisturizer  — On CW Beggs – On Amazon
  • Anti-Wrinkle Defense Eye  — On CW Beggs

To learn more about Groupe Marcelle, visit the website here.