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Tag: cosme

  • Japanese Beauty Giant @Cosme Unveils First Overseas Flagship Store in Hong Kong: A Fusion of Luxury Labels and Innovative Retail Experience

    Japanese Beauty Giant @Cosme Unveils First Overseas Flagship Store in Hong Kong: A Fusion of Luxury Labels and Innovative Retail Experience

    @Cosme, a renowned Japanese beauty retailer, is making its debut in Hong Kong with its inaugural overseas flagship store. The grand opening is planned for next month in the bustling district of Tsim Sha Tsui.

    Covering an area of 1,298 square meters, this three-level, street-front store will be home to approximately 500 brands. Shoppers can expect to find a wide variety of cosmetic and skincare products from premium brands such as Estee Lauder, Tom Ford Beauty, Aveda, YSL, Shiseido, Nars, and Decorte. In addition, more affordable options will be available from brands like Canmake, Wonjungyo, and Orbis.

    Notably, the store will also introduce several brands from Korea to its product line-up, including popular names such as D’Alba and Beauty of Joseon.

    The new flagship store will feature an advanced integration of online and offline shopping experiences via the local @Cosme app. The app provides multilingual product reviews and audio guides, enabling customers to make informed decisions while in the store.

    The company has chosen Hong Kong as the location for its first overseas store due to the city’s status as a major economic hub. Hong Kong’s low tax rates, status as a free trade port, and significant potential for growth in customer demand from mainland China and other Asian countries, were all deciding factors in this strategic move.

    This marks a significant step in @Cosme’s ongoing international expansion. The company already operates successful flagship stores in some of Japan’s largest cities, including Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya.

    Questions & Answers

    What is special about the new @Cosme flagship store in Hong Kong?
    The new @Cosme store in Hong Kong is the first overseas flagship store for the brand. It features an impressive integration of online and offline shopping experiences via the local @Cosme app.

    What kind of brands will be available at the @Cosme store in Hong Kong?
    The store will offer products from around 500 brands, including both luxury and affordable options. It will also introduce several Korean brands to its line-up.

    Why has @Cosme chosen Hong Kong as the location for its first overseas store?
    Hong Kong was chosen due to its status as a major economic hub with low tax rates and a free trade port. The city also presents significant growth potential due to inbound demand from mainland China and various Asian countries.

  • Cosme Unveils Largest Flagship Store In Nagoya, Bolsters Presence In Japan’s Tokai Region

    Cosme Unveils Largest Flagship Store In Nagoya, Bolsters Presence In Japan’s Tokai Region

    The Japanese cosmetics label, Cosme, has recently announced the opening of its largest flagship store yet, located in Nagoya. This marks the third prominent store opening for the brand, following the successful launches in Osaka and Tokyo. The addition of this new location bolsters Cosme’s footprint in the Tokai region.

    Perfectly situated on the fifth floor of the Takashimaya Gate Tower Mall, the expansive 810-square-meter store houses an extensive range of products. Customers can browse through offerings from nearly 500 brands, with popular names such as Gucci Beauty, Dior, and Cle de Peau Beaute taking pride of place.

    One of the unique features of this new location is the ‘Sale Ranking Tower.’ This dedicated area houses award-winning and best-selling products from Cosme’s selection, providing consumers with an easy way to identify and purchase top-rated cosmetics. The store also offers a variety of limited-edition mini-sized products from multiple sectors such as skincare, makeup, and hair care.

    In addition to its wide product range, the Nagoya flagship provides an interactive area called the ‘Sample Gacha.’ Here, customers can try out product samples from 15 different brands, including Innisfree, Excel, and Fancl, offering a hands-on experience for shoppers before they commit to a purchase.

    The Nagoya store launch follows Cosme’s recent reopening of its Tokyo flagship, which had undergone a significant makeover in March.

    Questions & Answers

    What is Cosme and what does it sell?
    Cosme is a Japanese cosmetics label that sells a wide variety of products from nearly 500 brands. Its offerings include makeup, skincare, and hair care products.

    Where is Cosme’s largest flagship store located?
    Cosme’s largest flagship store is located in Nagoya, on the fifth floor of the Takashimaya Gate Tower Mall.

    What is the ‘Sale Ranking Tower’ in the Nagoya store?
    The ‘Sale Ranking Tower’ is a unique feature in the Nagoya store that showcases award-winning and best-selling products.

  • Amazon to invest in Japanese beauty retailer Istyle

    Amazon to invest in Japanese beauty retailer Istyle

    Amazon.com will invest in istyle, the company behind the @cosme review and retail site, gaining access to the Japanese beauty product vendor’s trove of user reviews.

    Under the agreement announced Monday, istyle will issue 2.5 billion yen ($18.7 million) in convertible bonds as well as 11.5 billion yen in warrants to Amazon on Sept. 6. If these convertible bonds and warrants are turned into stock, Amazon would become the top shareholder with a 36.95% stake.

    Amazon will open a dedicated page, tentatively named @cosme Shopping, on its site, where istyle will provide the latest on beauty products to the e-retailer’s members and sell cosmetics from a wide range of brands.

    Istyle has been pushing to merge online and offline sales, setting up a brick-and-mortar store in Tokyo’s Harajusku district. Going forward, Amazon and istyle could collaborate in operating stores using digital tech. The partnership could boost Amazon’s presence in the cosmetic market, where drugs stores and department stores are also formidable players.

    Istyle will also issue convertible bonds to investors including leading trading house Mitsui & Co.

    Mitsui plans to position the cosmetics business as one of its key growth fields and wants “to broaden access to istyle’s customers and manufacturers,” according to a spokesperson. It intends to leverage its sales network to offer Japanese-made cosmetics in overseas markets.

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  • iStyle opens Fourth Hong Kong @cosme store

    iStyle opens Fourth Hong Kong @cosme store

    Tokyo retailer Istyle will open its fourth @Cosme store in Hong Kong this Friday. The new outlet will be launching as a specialty cosmetics store in East Point City mall in Tseung Kwan O, which has recently emerging as a shopping spot across a range of age groups. The first of Istyle’s four stores to predominantly target local markets as opposed to visiting Chinese tourists, it is the brand’s first “community-based store” in Hong Kong.

    The firm intends to increase customer engagement via more interaction with local shoppers.

    @Cosme will offer free testing of almost all products in store and counseling services for skin and makeup, and will be adding new product lines from Homei, Covermark, and Bare Minerals to its range of exclusively Japanese items.

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  • @Cosme cosmetics debuts in Bangkok

    @Cosme cosmetics debuts in Bangkok

    Japanese company istyle cosmetics is partnering with Siam Piwat to open @Cosme stores in Bangkok.

    The joint venture in which istyle holds 70 per cent is called istyle Retail Thailand and will operate five @Cosme stores in the country.

    The first Thai @Cosme store is set to open at the new development IconSiam by the end of this year, and the second will open at Siam Center.

    “We have studied the Thai market and found that Bangkok’s GDP is high and consumers in Bangkok, compared with consumers in other countries in this region, are the top spenders on beauty and cosmetic goods,” said Kei Sugawara, director, CFO and senior VP of global at Istyle Inc.

    “The @Cosme retailing concept that merges online consumer engagement with offline sales is extremely innovative and will be exciting for Thai consumers. Next to that, this joint venture will facilitate the arrival in Thailand of many new, high quality Japanese beauty brands that have not been available to consumers in Thailand,” said Usara Yongpiyakul, CEO of Siam Piwat Retail.

    The joint venture expects the total sales earned by @Cosme stores to reach Bt300 million (US$9 million) in the first three years.

    Currently, @Cosme has stores in Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan.

    Thailand is among several new markets istyle is planning to expand in during the next three years with a goal of 50 to 60 new stores planned.

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  • @Cosme arrives in Hong Kong

    @Cosme arrives in Hong Kong

     

    Japan-listed cosmetics review media and retail company Istyle Inc today opened its first cosmetics @cosme Store in Hong Kong.

    In Tsim Sha Tsui, the outlet offers Japanese cosmetic brands with rankings and testers for almost all products.

    Istyle executive officer Hajime Endo, who is also president of Istyle Retail (Hong Kong), says the Hong Kong store follows the model of Japanese stores with event and salon space allowing for makeup demonstrations and the opportunity for customers to meet with the brand owners.

    Founded in 1999, Istyle Inc owns the @cosme beauty portal sites and cosmetic stores. The first @cosme Store opened in Shinjuku, Tokyo, in 2007. Istyle Inc has 25 outlets in Japan and four outlets offshore. Its move into Hong Kong was made possible through Invest Hong Kong.

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  • @Cosme hitting debut in Taiwan

    @Cosme hitting debut in Taiwan

    Japanese online cosmetic store @Cosme is to open a brick-and-mortar store in Taiwan in May.

    It is the spearhead of a plan by its owner, Istyle, to open stores across Asia.

    Istyle began opening @cosme stores in Japan in 2007, bringing together drugstore and specialty store brands. The chain grew from a website that gained popularity by word of mouth, the stores making it easy for customers to find products that rank high on the site.

    However, Istyle’s business plan for the rest of Asia will follow the exact opposite path of its success in Japan: it will first open stores, then launch websites in the native language.

    “We will establish a foothold in foreign markets by first opening stores,” says Istyle president Tetsuro Yoshimatsu.

    The company plans to add three or more stores in Taiwan and Hong Kong this year.

    So far, most of Istyle’s overseas business dealings have been focussed on wholesaling cosmetics and crossborder e-commerce in China.

  • Japanese beauty e-tailer takes slice of Vanitee

    Japanese beauty e-tailer takes slice of Vanitee

    The Japanese online beauty retailer @Cosme has bought a stake in Singapore website Vanitee, described as a “digital marketplace for beauty artists”.

    Neither the value of the investment, or the size of the stake acquired was disclosed by either party.

    Vanitee was founded just 12 months ago by Douglas Gan, Kuik Xiaoshi and Choy Peng Kong. It has already secured investment funding from Luxasia Group, amongst others, amounting to several million Singapore dollars.

    With a database of about 3000 customers already, Vanitee is now looking to expand further into Asia, especially in the north.

    @Cosme, a subsidiary of Japan’s istyle inc, has physical retail stores in Tokyo and Osaka and runs eCommerce websites and and an online spa guide. Besides its focus on the Japanese market, istyle is increasingly targeting customers in Greater China.

    CFO Kei Sugawara says the Vanitee investment marks the company’s first expansion into Southeast Asia

    “We are thrilled to work with Vanitee to stretch the @Cosme footprint beyond Japan. We will focus our efforts to revolutionise how consumers in Singapore and Southeast Asia purchase and experience cosmetics and beauty products and services.”

    Gan, who is Vanitee’s CEO, said the company has been successful in securing investment because of its ability to communicate its vision, and business goals.

    “[Investors] love entrepreneurs with big ideas who have the humility to get their hands dirty and get things done.”

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  • Cosme.com breaks out of Japan

    Cosme.com breaks out of Japan

    Cosme.com has launched an English language model of its web site, increasing the most important cosmetics and wonder portal in Japan to a broad overseas market.

    @cosme, a subsidiary of istyle Inc, has developed right into a full-scale cosmetics portal reaching overwhelmingly giant numbers of girls – one in each two ladies in Japan of their 20s and 30s store on cosme.com, making it the most important portal in Japan for cosmetics and wonder merchandise.

    Every month some 10 million shoppers go to the web site utilizing all varieties of units and racking up 270 million web page views. It boasts a database of 250,000 gadgets from 28,000 home and overseas manufacturers and comes with a perform for looking customers’ postings on merchandise analysis, and new product info.

    The annual rankings of cosmetics,@cosme Greatest Cosmetics Award, compiled primarily from the customers’ postings, attracts the shut consideration of the cosmetics and wonder industries.

    The brand new English-language Cosme.com, stocked with about as many gadgets of merchandise as with the Japanese website, guarantees an virtually equivalent buying expertise to the Japanese website.

    Overseas consumers can select from a variety of third celebration supply providers.