Anua's Store Count Grows More Than Fivefold in Nine Months
Skin1004 Sees 500% Sales Surge in Western Europe in First Half
K-Beauty Distributor Silicon2 Opens 'MOIDA' Store in Paris
Following its success in the United States, K-beauty is now gaining attention in Europe, the birthplace of cosmetics, as a value-for-money product. In response, brands are accelerating their entry into offline stores. This strategy takes into account the high proportion of offline purchases among European consumers, with companies pursuing a two-track approach that combines both online and offline strategies to target the market.
According to The Founders on July 15, the K-beauty brand Anua has entered approximately 650 Boots stores in the United Kingdom. Anua, operated by The Founders, began its initial offline entry into Boots in October last year with 120 stores. By March, this number had expanded to 470, and as of July, it has surpassed 650. This means the number of stores has increased more than fivefold in just nine months since entering Boots.
Alongside this expansion, the number of products available in stores has also grown significantly. From the original seven items, the range has been expanded to up to 15 or more per store. Anua introduced its 'Rice' line, including the globally popular 'Rice Toner', to offline stores for the first time. High-functionality serums such as the 'Azelaic Serum' and 'PDRN Serum', which became bestsellers in the U.S. market within six months of launch, were also added, further diversifying the product lineup.
Anua's aggressive marketing in the European market has translated into strong results. During a campaign held in the UK from May to June, weekly sales of the PDRN Serum increased by 90%. In the second quarter of this year, Anua's retail sales at Boots rose by 26% compared to the previous quarter, once again demonstrating local demand for K-beauty.
A representative from Anua stated, "With this store expansion, we have secured a meaningful offline market share as a leading K-beauty brand in Europe," and added, "We plan to further solidify our position as a leading skincare brand in the UK by diversifying our product portfolio and distribution strategies."
Craver Corporation's skincare brand Skin1004 reported sales of 14.6 billion KRW in the Western European market in the first half of this year, a 500% increase compared to the same period last year. In particular, the brand has attracted attention in France, Italy, and Spain, with sales in June alone soaring by 950% compared to the same month last year. The brand's entry into drugstores and cosmetics shops in each country played a key role in boosting sales.
Currently, Skin1004 has newly entered 780 stores of the German drugstore chain Rossmann, which operates over 4,000 stores across Europe. In the UK, Skin1004 has completed entry into 40 stores, including Sephora and Superdrug. In Italy, the brand is expanding through the beauty select shop Douglas, and in Spain, through the drugstore Druni.
Meanwhile, K-beauty distribution platform Silicon2 opened the 'MOIDA' store in Paris, France last month. MOIDA is a K-beauty select shop directly operated by Silicon2. It is the company's first directly managed store in France and is planned to serve as a strategic hub to further expand its connection with French consumers, following its expansion into the UK.
The store features a total of 13 brands, including Dr.Althea, Anua, Beauty of Joseon, COSRX, Medicube, Axis-Y, Mixsoon, Purito Seoul, Round Lab, Biodance, Skin1004, VT Cosmetics, and others. Many leading K-beauty brands popular in the global market are participating, and additional K-beauty brands seeking to enter France and Europe will continue to be added in the future.
Starting with London and Paris, Silicon2 plans to open its first Italian store in Milan in the second half of the year. The company also plans to expand into Florence, Rome, and Spain in the future.
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