Global beauty corporations APR said on the 20th that brand Medicube entered more than 1,500 Target stores in the United States last month. In June, it plans to expand entry to about 3,000 Walmart stores. Through this, the company plans to broaden the U.S. distribution structure, which has been built around online channels, into offline channels and diversify touchpoints to meet local consumers.
APR's latest entry aligns with local distribution trends. Recently, major U.S. retailers have been accelerating efforts to strengthen "prestige beauty," a premium beauty market centered on skincare. Target is also nurturing the beauty category as a core growth area. Amanda Nusz, Target's head of brands, said in a media interview in early last month that beauty is a key growth strategy for Target and a central pillar of its roughly $2 billion investment plan.
Earlier, Medicube began offline sales by signing an exclusive offline distribution agreement with ULTA Beauty in August last year. Within three months of entering ULTA Beauty, sales volume rose about 30 percent, and as demand continued, an additional special order was placed in September. The company said these results laid the foundation for expanding entry into large U.S. offline retailers.
At Target and Walmart stores, Medicube will be operated as a standalone display. With independent brand exposure in stores, it is expected to help raise awareness among local consumers.
The main products entering stores consist of the brand's flagship lines. They include Zero Pore Pads, Collagen Gel Cream, Collagen Night Wrapping Mask, and PDRN Pink Collagen Gel Mask. By frontloading products where Medicube has shown strength—such as pore care, elasticity care, and sheet masks—the brand is set to target U.S. consumers.
An APR official said, "Through a strategy that combines online and offline channels, we will continue to expand not only our existing online-focused customers but also new customer segments within offline distribution channels."