Korean beauty brand to open first concept store in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - Global beauty brand Etude House is set to open another store in Cebu.

The 78 square-meter shop located at the lower ground of SM Seaside City will be the first concept store of the company in the Philippines and brings to a total 48 Etude House stores in the country, five of which are in Cebu.

“The Cebu market is very important for us. We see a lot of growth potential here, that’s why we decided to put our first concept store here,”  said Andrea Amado, president of Etude House Philippines.

Etude House is a Korean cosmetics brand for make-up, hair and body care products with over 1,000 product lines to choose from.

According to Amado, the Etude House concept store in SM Seaside City will change the way the company will present itself to its growing number of  followers in the Philippines as it offers a more “experiential” shopping encounter.

A concept store is a retail store that goes beyond simply selling products and instead appeals to a general sense of lifestyle by offering products to match the desires of those involved in a particular social scene. Rather than simply offering a selection of standard products for purchase, this type of store sells products that appeal to a particular segment of consumer.

Known as the “playhouse of princesses,”  Etude House entered the Philippines in 2010 and has since then attracted a great number of urban youngsters with its quality products. In fact, it has been voted favorite Korean makeup brand in the Philippines.

Although targeted for the young market,  Amado said the company has noted a growing number of trendy “mommies” using the products.

It also gaining interest from the men market, she added.

In the concept store, Etude House will introduce its new shade of pink iconic color, combining the three shades of pink and green.

“Cebuano market loves color. They also love to try out new things. Very adventurous [market ],”  said Amado in an interview.

Affordability, efficacy, and the high awareness of the importance of feeling good to draw in confidence, “not just for vanity,”  is what makes Etude House thrive in the Philippine beauty market, Amado concluded. — Ehda M. Dagooc (FREEMAN)