Why family-owned Marquise Baby is expanding into new categories for the first time in 90 years

The key to longevity in business is talking directly to your customers and holding true to the mission you set out to achieve, according to 90-year-old Australian baby brand Marquise Baby. 

Founded in 1932, the 100% Australian family-owned business has been designing premium babywear and accessories for almost a century and is now pushing into new categories and channels for the first time in its history with a new range of hypoallergenic and chemical-free nappies and wipes. 

Marquise baby and children’s clothing is stocked in major department stores Myer and David Jones, while its new nappies and wipes are available from selected IGA supermarkets, Harris Farm, WH Smith, The Memo, pharmacy chains, including Terry White, Good Price and Wholelife, and online retailers Catch and Amazon Australia. 

Today the business is run by husband and wife team Daniel and Natalie Hershan, with family member and director Sam Griffin leading new product and category development.

When asked by SmartCompany how Marquise has continued to go from strength to strength, Griffin says Australian parents have trusted the brand and its range of classic styles since 1932. 

“All of our clothing is made from the finest quality fabrics as well as expertly designed to keep its shape and quality,” he says. 

“Our mission has always been to focus on the quality so pieces can be passed on from generation to generation.

“Our customers appreciate the heritage of Marquise and trust the brand. This has enabled Marquise to keep dressing generations of Australian babies.”

Griffin said the mission of Marquise has not changed in 90 years.

“We appeal to a customer who appreciates quality and style at an affordable price,” he says. 

“In the last five years, we have really focused on the heritage of the brand and the idea of generation to generation – passing down treasured Marquise pieces that have stood the test of time.

Marquise entered the e-commerce world with its first online store eight years ago, says Griffin, with a refreshed version of the store due to be launched at the end of this month. 

“We find that having a direct connection to our consumer has allowed us to respond to their needs and offer an even more complete range,” he says. 

“We have over 60,000 subscribers on our mailing list and we can talk directly to them.”

Demand for ‘clean’ products drives new product launches

Marquise Baby’s new line of nappies, wipes and accessories is the result of two years of product development via a process that involved the brand’s loyal community of more than 50,000 members.

Griffin says the Marquise Baby team wanted to give customers a wider range of products under the brand, and since February, it has sold more than 400,000 individual nappies. 

“We identified particularly in the US and UK, independent brands were offering a better nappy experience to customers than major brands and private labels,” he says. 

“We identified the link between products with clean ingredients being significantly gentler for sensitive skin as well as being environmentally friendly. 

“Through technological innovations, there were nappies available that delivered on customer demand for incredibly clean and sensitive skin options, better for the environment, fun and social media worthy patterns and most importantly, actually worked.”

Marquise is seeking to offer a “better for you” option with its nappies, which are dermatologically-tested and hypoallergenic and free from chemicals, latex, chlorine and dioxins. The products are made from 73% plant-based materials and designs are printed with food-safe inks. 

The Marquise wipes are also dermatologically tested, and hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, and are made up of 99.7% water content, according to the brand. The New Zealand-made wipes don’t contain parabens, sulfates or alcohol and are designed to naturally biodegrade over time. 

Marquise Baby told SmartCompany that in the US, two multinationals have a combined 75-76% market share, private labels make up another 16-18%, and then ‘other nappies’ accounted for 1-2% of the market five years ago. 

Now, the ‘other nappies’ category holds 3-4% of the market, according to the brand. 

“This ‘other’ section has doubled in market share, vs a relatively flat rest of the category, and is driven by the ‘better for you’ nappies,” Griffin explains. 

“In the UK, the Waitrose babycare buyer has been quoted saying: ‘Eco nappies alone have seen sales increase by 18% on last year’.”

Griffin said Marquise Baby expects this will continue to play a major role in customer decision-making, especially when it comes to baby and childcare products.

According to Marquise’s research, customers are switching to the brand’s nappies and wipes for four reasons: exceptional overnight performance, reduced nappy rash, high absorbency, and a chemical-free composition

“It seemed clear to us that there is a global movement and simply better and cleaner options available for customers in other countries for their babies,” says Griffin. 

“We have seen retailers such as Walmart, Target US, Waitrose UK and ASDA UK featuring a wide offering of ‘better for you’ nappies and wipes.

“We know from our experience that Australia is traditionally 3-5 years behind and our goal became to deliver this experience to Australian parents.”

Marquise has official partnerships with Cabrini Hospital and Epworth Hospital, where the brand’s nappies and wipes are given as gifts to families with newborns, and since February 2023, the brand has donated more than 30,000 nappies to its official partner The Nappy Collective.