While the concept of direct selling was virtually unknown in India just 15 years ago, the industry is thriving  today.

Direct Selling News, in a November cover story about India, says direct selling is “tailor made” for the market.

As Amway India’s Managing Director Bill Pinckney said in the article, “The business model does work incredibly well in India, and it has lasted and proven its detractors wrong.  Thousands and thousands of Indian entrepreneurs of all ages now earn important income for themselves and their families through the direct selling industry.”

Those entrepreneurs fueled a 24 percent increase in industry sales in 2010, and  Direct Selling News predicts direct selling will continue to grow at an annual rate of 15 – 20 percent over the next five years.

Amway opens its doors to journalists all over the world to share our story of product brands, business opportunities, enduring relationships and global citizenship.

That’s why nearly a dozen journalists from India’s top media recently visited the Nutrilite Center for Optimal Health in Buena Park. Their hosts were Amway India and our Nutrilite experts in California.

A  focus on safety and how the industry should be regulated in India kept the conversation lively.  As reporters learned about the science behind Nutrilite products, they had plenty of questions. How do you know which nutrients your body needs? How do you ensure product quality and safety?

They also took notes and photos in the fields and greenhouses of the Agricultural Research Farm for Nutrilite products at Lakeview. More questions followed:  Who audits your sustainable farming practices? What crops are you growing to develop new products?

Dr. Sam Rehnborg, whose father Carl Rehnborg, introduced the Nutrilite brand, encouraged  the journalists to share the optimal health story with their readers.  

As of press time, they already are.

Today Amway’s parent company, Alticor, announced record sales of  US$9.2 billion for 2010.

This performance reflects a 9.5 percent increase over the $8.4 billion in sales posted in 2009, and is the 10th sales increase in the last 11 years.

Growth was fueled by strong performance in China, Amway’s biggest market, as well as gains in India, Korea and the Americas.

“We had a strong year across the map,” said chairman Steve Van Andel. “Amway was able to gain market share in the direct selling industry, and our key product lines improved their competitive position as well.”

Added president Doug DeVos, “Awareness of Amway’s business opportunity and product brands continues to grow as we invest in brand-building. We believe in the potential of this business, and so do our distributors.”

The current issue of Chief Executive magazine features a story about “Amway’s New Way.”

That “new way” is how Amway has successfully crossed borders, bridged cultural gaps and adapted to the needs of consumers in the more than 80 countries and territories in which we operate.

As Amway President Doug DeVos says,  ”What we’re trying to do now is become really good at being local in every market in which we operate. It’s not just a multinational effort, but really understanding what it means to be an Indian company in India, a Chinese company in China, a Brazilian or Mexican company in Latin America.”

Part of that, adds Chairman Steve Van Andel, is a commitment to understanding the different needs everywhere we operate, to ”take a look at all the markets we’re in and figure out how to better service those customers.”

Global success?  For Amway, it’s a matter of going local.

The achievements of exceptional Indian women were center stage last week at the  India Today Woman Summit & Awards in Mumbai, presented by Amway.

The summit featured big name speakers like Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi and Marianne Pearl, widow of slain journalist Daniel Pearl.  But the real stars were the winners of the India Today Woman Awards – 12 women representing the arts, business, sports, public service and social activism.  Amway India sponsored the “Woman of the Year” and “Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year” honors.

The event was created, in the words of India Today Group Editor in Chief Aroon Purie, to “not only acknowledge the contribution of these women but…also allow the newer generation of women, to learn, share and experience what it takes to be the best.” 

And that’s something we’re proud to support.

Pick up a copy of any business journal and you know that the economic climate in India is as hot as ever. The fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and direct-selling industries in particular are gathering steam as indicated by several major Indian broadsheets, including Business Line and Business Standard.* Based on 2009 figures, the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations also reports that direct selling in India eclipsed USD$1 billion in estimated retail sales.

As the popularity of our business model surges throughout India—most recently in smaller metropolises and rural regions—it’s no wonder that Amway India has launched a widespread TV, print and outdoor ad campaign for our NUTRILITE™ brand. Combined with new product roll-outs, increased brand experience centers and 34,000-plus trainings in 2010, Amway is poised to retain its lead position in the India direct-selling market for years to come.

Of course, it’s not just our efforts to improve financial health in India, but also healthcare as just blogged by Jesse Hertstein from our One by One team.

* Many Indian press stories are unavailable online, though yes we do read the papers.

Amway India Vice President of Legal and Corporate Affairs Yoginder Singh was recently named chairman of the Indian Direct Selling Association.

He’s the latest in a long line of Amway leaders to helm direct selling trade organizations in our markets.

A dozen company execs currently lead direct selling associations in Belgium, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, Romania, Singapore and Taiwan.

They carry on a tradition of service that dates back to when our Co-Founder Rich DeVos served as chairman of the U.S. Direct Selling Association.   

Thanks to Yogi for being the latest in a long line of leaders to lead our industry.

Coming off the heels of last month’s news of a new special needs school in Gurgaon, India, Amway has opened its first Health and Beauty Brand Experience Center there. The 10th  in the country, the center is situated in MGF Mega City Mall, one of Gurgaon’s newest and sleekest shopping destinations. This prominent location will help the new 17,000-square-foot facility attract savvy consumers seeking the latest advances in skin care, cosmetics, nutrition and wellness, as well as provide ample training space to Amway distributors.

Going to Gurgaon? Stop on in to assess your skin, customize your  wellness regime or learn insider beauty tips from the professionals. Better yet, send us pictures of your trip to any Amway Brand Experience Center anywhere. We’d love to post them!

Business Today recently ranked Gurgaon, a prospering Tier II city in the Haryana state southwest of Delhi, one of the best places to live and work in India. For 122 visually-impaired students, Gurgaon is also one of the best places to attend school.

With the support of the Amway Opportunity Foundation (AOF), AICB (Capt. Chandan Lal) Special School For The Blind opened the AOF-AICB Centre of Excellence. The Centre features computers equipped with specialized speech software that helps school-aged students hear words as they type. This enables them to hone basic computing skills and surf the web.

This is the first school centre of its kind in Gurgaon, and the 11th the AOF has opened throughout India. As quoted in the 20 August print edition of The Hindustan Times, the secretary general of the school, J.K. Kaul says:

“It is important in today’s time to be technically strong. This effort by the AOF will surely help out visually impaired children to learn with technology and upgrade their skills.”

The AOF’s vision is to enable less privileged children to lead better lives. These children in Gurgaon are a very big part of that vision.

Amway makes headlines around the world on a daily basis.

And if we’re not in the headlines, you might see our executives’  bylines as they share their thoughts in print and online.

Today Amway India’s managing director Bill Pinckney bylined a column in The Hindu about the need for nutritional supplements.  He cited changing diets, stressful lifestyles and different ways of cooking as reasons more people need supplements to fill their nutritional gaps.

Yesterday in Thailand, Preecha Prakobkit, Amway’s managing director there, wrote about sports marketing at the BangkokBizNews.com CEO Blog.

So we make headlines and our execs create bylines.  In other words, Amway makes news and our newsmakers share views.