International health and beauty retailer AS Watson has teamed up with L’Oreal to launch Colorlab by Watsons, a new concept makeup store in China.
The first Colorlab launched in Shenzhen early this year as a trial, followed by more openings in Guangzhou and Shanghai. Now the company has revealed plans to roll out a further 50 stores across China by the end of this year. The stores feature modern black interiors to convey a fashionable and trendy experience-led makeup space, with access to on-hand makeup artists.
L’Oreal brands occupy more than 30 per cent of retail space, and such an arrangement is exclusive to Colorlab only.
With the rise of online shopping and changing shopping behaviours of younger customers, it is expected that the focus on innovative physical spaces and refreshing shopping experiences will help attract younger buyers.
AS Watson Group COO Malina Ngai said: “Makeup was identified as a huge growth area for Watsons, and working with L’Oreal on the development of this new store concept meant that we had the expertise of an established makeup supplier at the forefront. Colorlab stores put the customers experience first and rather than just purchasing makeup, we wanted to give customers access to advice and expertise from skilled makeup artists, as well as the opportunity to try out different looks and play about with new products.”
