April 20, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Korean cosmetics and personal-care product manufacturer LG Household & Health Care said on Oct. 23 it has launched three premium brands -- O Hui, VDL and Belif -- in China through a local department store.

The firm opened a Belif store and another store that sells VDL and O Hui products together at Intime Department Store in Hangzhou.

“We combined VDL and Ohui brands into one store to meet customer needs for both skin care and cosmetics products,” an LG spokesperson told The Investor.

The new Chinese opening comes at a time when Korean cosmetics sales have been hit hard by the government’s ban on group tours to Korea in retaliation against the THAAD installation.

But LG said its sales have been less affected by the diplomatic tensions as they focus more on premium lines that are still popular among Chinese shoppers.

Its high-end brand The History Whoo, in particular, saw this year’s sales exceed the 1 trillion won (US$884.56 million) mark for the first time in October, largely driven by strong sales in Asia.

The company plans to further expand its presence by selling them through premium department stores in big cities. It plans to open the second store combining O Hui and VDL products in Shanghai soon.

“We aim to become one of the top five cosmetics firms in China,” LG H&H Marketing Director Kim Byung-yeol said in a statement.

With the latest addition, the firm has launched all its five premium brands in China. Whoo, which entered China in 2016, operates 182 stores currently.

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)