Luxury beauty brand Hera under South Korea’s largest cosmetics conglomerate Amorepacific Group has opened its first store in Singapore that is expected to serve as the Korean beauty brand’s gateway to neighboring countries in Southeast Asia.
According to Amorepacific on 11 May, Hera was officially launched in Singapore with the opening of its standalone boutique store inside Takashimaya Department Store.
The move comes as luxury cosmetics brand Hera has been putting out efforts to expand its global business by entering into Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. Hera that entered China in 2016 plans to use Singapore as a bridgehead to venture into other markets in Southeast Asia.
Hera expects the store in Singapore where hallyu, or Korean wave, is still catching on and consumers chase trendy lifestyle would help to accelerate its advance into other ASEAN markets.
Amorepacific plans to mainly introduce skin care and beauty products that can help maintain fresh look against high humidity and temperature at its first store in the Southeast Asian country.
In addition to the boutique store in Takashimaya Department Store, Hera plans to open a flagship store in the country before launching the brand in other neighboring countries.
Amorepacific ventured into China immediately after Korea and China established diplomatic relations in 1992. The beauty powerhouse that has been seeking to drive the growth through overseas operations made a foray into Vietnam with its mid-tier Laneige brand in 2003 and now manages 20 direct outlets in the country.
It also has been aggressively expanding its presence in other countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East including Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and Dubai.