Musinsa Beauty said on the 28th that its private-label brand ODDTYPE entered AAFES (Army & Air Force Exchange Service), a distribution channel for U.S. service members, in early this month and began selling products on the online mall and at 27 offline stores. The offline stores are operated mainly in areas that host major U.S. military hubs, including Texas, Virginia and California.
AAFES is a military welfare distribution agency under the U.S. Ministry of National Defense. Including its online mall, it operates stores (PX) and convenience stores at U.S. military bases worldwide and has a customer base of about 30 million, including active-duty and retired service members, civilian employees and their families.
With this entry into AAFES, Musinsa Beauty expanded its North American sales network from online to offline. Until now, it had sold products mainly on online platforms such as Amazon, YesStyle and StyleKorean, but going forward it will be able to secure touchpoints with consumers on the U.S. mainland and in U.S. military hub regions around the world.
A Musinsa Beauty official said, "This is not a one-off event placement but premised on ongoing sales," adding, "We plan to expand the listed products and scope of operations depending on future sales performance."
In the Middle East, it moved to target the offline market with Kuwait as a base. In June, Musinsa Beauty introduced ODDTYPE at major shopping malls in Kuwait through the local beauty and lifestyle platform Boutiqaat. Boutiqaat is a leading Middle Eastern beauty and lifestyle platform that grew out of Kuwait and operates a K-beauty specialty store called "Korea Town."
In Australia, three Musinsa Beauty private-label brands will begin offline sales starting next month. ODDTYPE, WHIZZY and MUSINSA STANDARD BEAUTY will enter the Australian market through local beauty distribution specialist W Cosmetics.
W Cosmetics is a leading Australian distribution channel that specializes in beauty brands from Asia, including Korea and Japan. It operates stores mainly in large shopping malls in major cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The three Musinsa Beauty private-label lines are set to enter 50 W Cosmetics stores.
Musinsa Beauty has steadily expanded overseas distribution channels for its private-label products, focusing on Japan and Southeast Asia. In Japan, ODDTYPE entered major beauty and household goods distribution channels such as @cosme, LOFT and PLAZA. WHIZZY is sold at about 300 Don Quijote stores, widening its touchpoints with local consumers.
A Musinsa Beauty official said, "We plan to continue expanding online and offline sales channels in the global market beyond North America, the Middle East and Australia," adding, "We will broaden our overseas distribution network centered on private-label product lines to strengthen our competitiveness as a global beauty platform."