THE WHAT?   CJ Olive Young Corp., South Korea’s premier beauty retail chain, is expanding its global footprint by establishing a subsidiary in Japan within the first half of this year. This move underscores the company’s strategic thrust into what it deems its most critical overseas market, alongside the United States.

THE DETAILS The decision to venture into the Japanese market follows a significant uptick in the sales of CJ Olive Young’s private brand products in the region, which have seen an average increase of 125% since 2020. With first-quarter sales alone soaring by 76% year-over-year, the company is set to supply these products directly to local distributors in Japan.

THE WHY? While CJ Olive Young has not yet confirmed plans to open a directly managed offline store in Japan, the success of its private brands has been a key driver for the expansion. The company noted that Japanese consumers exhibit consumption patterns similar to Koreans, with a growing affinity for K-beauty products. This cultural and market alignment presents a ripe opportunity for CJ Olive Young to replicate its domestic success internationally.