Latest news with #CJOliveYoung
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
The verdict is in on Mecca's new flagship store, and it's a winner
It's clearer than the skin of a K-pop star that Mecca founder Jo Horgan wants her new flagship store in Bourke Street Mall to become a leading Melbourne tourist destination, but is it up there with the National Gallery of Victoria or more in line with the infamous 'Yellow Peril ' sculpture? At the crowded store preview for beauty lovers, influencers and media, the elbows were out and the extensions were in as people raced to experience hair treatments, fragrance consultations, skin analysis and the cafeteria before the side doors open to the public on Friday (the front doors should be operational by November). Three years ago, if I had been standing in the mall opposite Myer, I would have been in the David Jones menswear store instead of drowning in a sea of women who have conquered contouring and fake eyelash application. The former home of suits and designer Y-fronts has been lavishly transformed into a literal Mecca for women. This may be a woman's world but here is the well-moisturised man's view. If you're worried about my qualifications, I've been writing about beauty since I went to France in 2009 to see how Chanel No.5 is made and have been obsessed with skincare since Olay was Oil of Ulan. The look: At 4000 square metres, it's big. The CJ Olive Young flagship in Seoul, Korea, is a larger beauty destination at a reported 4628 square metres, but stores are like pimples: bigger isn't always better. For most Melburnians, it should be enough that the footprint is more than twice the size of Sydney's Mecca flagship on George Street. This should have them smiling before seeing the extensive range of skincare, spanning from $27 lip balms by Zoe Foster Blake's brand, Go-To, to the $864 Augustinus Bader moisturisers. Loading 'I've never ever seen a store like it,' says UK hair colourist Josh Wood, who has worked with Kylie Minogue and David Beckham. Wood has opened his first salon outside the UK in the building. 'I've been looking at the plans for two years but when I walked through the doors, I was completely blown away. It's the future of beauty.' There's a sense of discovery as you wander from brow bars with Hollywood mirror lighting to Charlotte Tilbury foundations taking root beneath a golden palm tree. The cavernous space is artfully divided by texture, colour and curtains across three floors.
The Age
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
The verdict is in on Mecca's new flagship store, and it's a winner
It's clearer than the skin of a K-pop star that Mecca founder Jo Horgan wants her new flagship store in Bourke Street Mall to become a leading Melbourne tourist destination, but is it up there with the National Gallery of Victoria or more in line with the infamous 'Yellow Peril ' sculpture? At the crowded store preview for beauty lovers, influencers and media, the elbows were out and the extensions were in as people raced to experience hair treatments, fragrance consultations, skin analysis and the cafeteria before the side doors open to the public on Friday (the front doors should be operational by November). Three years ago, if I had been standing in the mall opposite Myer, I would have been in the David Jones menswear store instead of drowning in a sea of women who have conquered contouring and fake eyelash application. The former home of suits and designer Y-fronts has been lavishly transformed into a literal Mecca for women. This may be a woman's world but here is the well-moisturised man's view. If you're worried about my qualifications, I've been writing about beauty since I went to France in 2009 to see how Chanel No.5 is made and have been obsessed with skincare since Olay was Oil of Ulan. The look: At 4000 square metres, it's big. The CJ Olive Young flagship in Seoul, Korea, is a larger beauty destination at a reported 4628 square metres, but stores are like pimples: bigger isn't always better. For most Melburnians, it should be enough that the footprint is more than twice the size of Sydney's Mecca flagship on George Street. This should have them smiling before seeing the extensive range of skincare, spanning from $27 lip balms by Zoe Foster Blake's brand, Go-To, to the $864 Augustinus Bader moisturisers. Loading 'I've never ever seen a store like it,' says UK hair colourist Josh Wood, who has worked with Kylie Minogue and David Beckham. Wood has opened his first salon outside the UK in the building. 'I've been looking at the plans for two years but when I walked through the doors, I was completely blown away. It's the future of beauty.' There's a sense of discovery as you wander from brow bars with Hollywood mirror lighting to Charlotte Tilbury foundations taking root beneath a golden palm tree. The cavernous space is artfully divided by texture, colour and curtains across three floors.
Korea Herald
05-08-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Olive Young's K-beauty booth attracts 36,000 visitors at KCON LA 2025
CJ Olive Young, Korea's leading beauty retailer, said Tuesday that it had operated its largest-ever K-beauty booth at KCON LA 2025, the world's biggest K-pop festival, from Friday to Sunday. Spanning 430 square meters, the Olive Young booth showcased 66 Korean beauty brands and 164 products, drawing an estimated 36,000 visitors out of the total 125,000 who visited KCON. The highlight of the booth was the 'Skincare Routine Zone,' which introduced what it called the four essential steps of K-beauty skin care: essence and serum, sun care, face masks and pads along with cream. The curated selection included over 40 products to help visitors understand the diversity and functionality of Korean skin care. Additional features of the booth included the 'Sun Care Zone' where visitors could experience Korean sun protection products with a UV protection test device, and a skin scanning service that provided personalized skin type diagnosis and skin care recommendations. 'I'm a K-pop fan and have always been curious about K-beauty, but I didn't know which products were trending or worth trying,' Sienna Vale, a 21-year-old attendee, was quoted as saying during her visit. 'This booth helped me experience and understand K-beauty better than I expected.' In partnership with Korea's Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Olive Young also spotlighted 30 promising small and medium-sized Korean brands through a dedicated showcase area. Meanwhile, the company's own brands such as BioHeal Boh, Bring Green and Colorgram also ran promotional events at the booth. 'This was a meaningful opportunity to introduce Olive Young and K-beauty to US consumers,' a company official said. 'We will continue our role as a leading global K-beauty platform, helping Korean brands expand to new markets.'
Korea Herald
14-07-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Olive Young's global platform logs record sales in H1 on robust US demand
CJ Olive Young's global online platform posted record sales in the first half of the year, with the United States accounting for more than half of the total, the beauty retail giant said Monday. Named Olive Young Global Mall, the platform posted a 70 percent on-year increase in sales during the January-June period, while order volume rose by about 60 percent over the same span. The strongest driver of sales growth was the US, which contributed over 40 percent of the platform's first-half growth, according to the company. The US alone made up more than half of total sales. To build on its US momentum, Olive Young is scaling up its logistics infrastructure. Earlier this month, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with FedEx to strengthen Korea-US shipping links and enhance delivery for American consumers. 'We plan to continue building logistics networks in other countries to better accommodate rising overseas demand for Korean beauty products,' an Olive Young official said. Other standout markets in the first half included the United Kingdom, where sales surged 300 percent on-year, as well as Malaysia (256 percent), Singapore (191 percent) and Japan (180 percent). Olive Young has emerged as a key launch pad for Korean beauty brands seeking to expand overseas. As of June, roughly 1,200 brands were listed on its Global Mall, up from 130 at its launch in 2019. The platform also surpassed 3 million members for the first time in June. 'The growth of the Global Mall represents a meaningful step in connecting small and mid-sized K-beauty brands with international consumers,' the company official said.
Korea Herald
03-07-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
K-pop in beauty stores: Olive Young diversifies as rivals gather
Olive Young deepens K-culture focus, beauty consultations amid intensifying K-beauty competition Beauty retail giant CJ Olive Young is tightening its grip on Korea's cosmetics market with a fresh push that fuses Korean cultural trends and hyper-personalized beauty experiences -- all while sharpening its global edge. With more than 1,300 stores nationwide, Olive Young has long dominated the local scene — and now it's doubling down. As new challengers emerge in Korea's booming beauty space, the company is evolving its content strategy and store experience to stay ahead of the curve. Its latest move: fusing Korean cultural touchpoints with hyper-customized beauty offerings, showcased in a new wave of globally minded flagship stores. The new three-story Hongdae Playground outpost, which opened on June 11, features a dedicated men's beauty zone, AI-powered skin scan consultations and K-pop sections. Olive Young has increasingly tapped the power of K-pop, creating special zones in tourist hubs like Myeong-dong and Seongsu-dong since last year. The retailer said it held 19 K-pop pop-up stores in 2023, with six still operating. The strategy has roots in its online success. Since launching a K-pop category on its website in 2022, 71 percent of first-time overseas customers who purchased K-pop albums also picked up K-beauty products. More recently, Olive Young opened its Central Gangnam Town store on Wednesday, with a sharp focus on in-store beauty experiences such as skin analyses, personal color diagnostics and bespoke consultations with beauty advisors. "The opening of this advanced store seeks to meet the beauty needs of both local and international consumers in the Gangnam area," an official from Olive Young said, adding that the retailer will continue to launch stores tailored to each district's characteristics and customer base. Olive Young's expansion sets the stage for fiercer competition, particularly with Shinsegae's beauty brand Chicor, which recently rebranded and opened nearby with a renewed focus on Korean products, shifting away from its earlier emphasis on imported labels. Likewise, the Chicor store also offers customized beauty experiences, including an AI personalization service and a K-beauty makeup zone. Following in Olive Young's footsteps, the retailer is eyeing new locations in tourist hotspots such as Hongdae and Myeong-dong. Another potential competitor is Hyundai Home Shopping. The TV shopping operator is finalizing plans to launch its first brick-and-mortar beauty store, Coasis, by October, which will be stocked with its teleshopping bestsellers. However, business specifics remain under wraps for now. Although industry consensus remains that Olive Young's dominance will not be easily toppled, the arrival of new competitors can only be good news for consumers. 'The popularity of K-beauty remains strong both here and abroad, and we're seeing new players continue to enter the offline beauty market,' said an industry official. 'But as the market grows, consumers will ultimately benefit from better quality and more competitive pricing.' Indeed, data shows that K-beauty's growth shows no signs of abating. According to the Korea International Trade Association, Korea exported $3.61 billion worth of cosmetics from January to April, surpassing the United States' $3.57 billion for the first time. This milestone comes just a year after Korea overtook Germany to become the world's third-largest cosmetics exporter, behind only France and the US. The nation's cosmetics exports in the first half of this year reached a record high of $5.5 billion, up 14.8 percent from a year earlier, according to data released by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.
