Amorepacific will launch its Etude House, Korea’s top makeup brand targeting a younger demographic, as the first of its portfolio onto the market. It will open its first store in Dubai during the second half of this year, according to its parent company.
In partnership with one of the largest retailers in the region, Alshaya Group, Amorepacific will be developing its already well-established market expertise in the Middle East, where it has been building local market insight via its regional experts, Hyecho, in major cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Tehran and Istanbul.
The k-beauty giant notes that, according to the Euromonitor, the highest global cosmetics market growth outlook by region based on 2015-2020E CAGR is the Middle East (15%), followed by South America (14%), Asia (7%), North America (4%) and Western Europe (3%).
Dubai: chosen gateway
Amorepacific notes that it has selected Dubai as the base from which it will build its presence in the Middle East.
“Amorepacific selected Dubai – an influential megacity – as its first gateway to the Middle Eastern market,” the company explains.
“Accordingly, Amorepacific established a fully-owned subsidiary, AMOREPACIFIC ME FZ LLC in May 2016 located in Dubai Design District (D3), the free economic trade zone driven by the UAE government as a center for beauty, fashion and design industries.”
The company notes that it has plans to extend its reach across Gulf Cooperation Council member countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman in the coming period.
A new ‘Eurasian path’
Suh Kyungbae, Chairman & CEO of Amorepacific, stated of the expansion, “Amorepacific will actively commit to promoting the company’s innovative beauty culture to meet growing interest of Asian Beauty among customers in the Middle East.
“By doing so, Asian Beauty is set to move beyond Korea and chart a new Eurasian path that connects across China, Southeast Asia, India, Europe and Middle East.”
Mohammed Alshaya, the Executive Chairman of M.H. Alshaya Co., stated, “Etude House of Amorepacific Group will add diversity to our portfolio of world-leading brands. We are delighted to present the essence of Asian Beauty to our customers in the Middle East.”