Dollar Shave Club launches in Australia

Sydney: Dollar Shave Club, a United States-based membership service delivering high-quality razor blades to the mailboxes of members each month, today begins service in Australia – the first international market outside North America. 

Following massive success in the United States, the company aims to change the way Australians think about shaving by making it more affordable and convenient to buy quality razors. 

In just eight months, Dollar Shave Club has rapidly penetrated the global multi-billion dollar men’s grooming market. Originally established to address over-priced blades and the poor shopping experience that comes with buying razor blades, Dollar Shave Club was launched in the United States through a YouTube video in March 2012 by CEO and Co-founder, Michael Dubin. The video has received 7.5 million viewers to date. 

Dollar Shave Club recently raised US$9.8 million in a Series A round of funding led by Venrock. This follows US$1 million in seed funding announced in March 2012, co-led by Kleiner Perkins, Caufield & Byers and Forerunner Ventures. The funding will help Dollar Shave Club’s plans to further expand internationally and launch other services. 

With strong funding secured, and an innovative model providing a convenient, online and low-cost alternative to an otherwise premium-priced product, Dollar Shave Club lends itself to a global audience and has exciting plans for international growth. 

Joining the Club is simple. Customers visit the company’s website and choose one of three razor membership levels: the “Humble Twin” (AU$4/month), the “4x” (AU$7/month), and the “Executive” (AU$10/month) which include a razor, a month’s supply of blades and shipping.

Mr Dubin said: “We are very, very excited to open our Club’s doors to Australia. We’ve received thousands of requests for us to make membership available here, and we’re eager to have Australian men join our society of smarter consumers.”

“By joining Dollar Shave Club, Australian men no longer have to overpay for brand name razors and deal with the maddening experience of buying them in the store. It’s such a simple idea with unbelievable value,” Mr Dubin said.

New research commissioned by Dollar Shave Club reveals:

•Three quarters (75%) of Australian men surveyed believe razor blades are too expensive 

•Over half of Australian men (52%) would be prepared to change their razor blade brand if it provided the same quality as a big brand, but cost less

•When Australian men run out of razor blades 47% would not shave, while 12% would dig out last week’s razor blade from the bin.

-ENDS-

Dollar Shave Club is a United States-based online retailer, selling premium razor blades to men for a monthly membership fee and delivering them directly to their mailbox. 

Dollar Shave Club members can choose from three signature plans:

-The Humble Twin: a standard two-blade razor (AU$4 per month)

-The 4x: a four-blade razor (AU$7 per month)

-The Executive: a state-of-the-art six-blade razor (AU$10 per month).

All prices include shipping and handling.

Each Dollar Shave Club razor comes equipped with stainless steel blades, lubrication strips and a pivoting head. A free razor handle comes with the first shipment and members can seamlessly upgrade and downgrade between razors whenever they choose.