‘Clean’ K-beauty brand Yepoda has opened its first store in Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
Described as an experiential concept store, the two-floor location, located in Seoul’s Seongsu district, will integrate visitors into a Korean skin care routine as well as provide space for consumers to discover Yepoda’s product range.
The store opening follows success for the brand in Europe, with Yepoda currently stocked in over 650 Sephora Europe stores in addition to its flagship location in Milan, Italy, and the launch of its direct to consumer (D2C) business in the US, supported by evergreen investment company Verlinvest.
Now, the brand looks to return to its Korean roots.
“Returning to Korea has always been part of Yepoda’s long-term vision,” founder and CEO Sander Joonyoung van Bladel told Cosmetics Business.
“Every Yepoda product has been developed and manufactured in Korea since day one, so opening our first store here feels like a natural homecoming for the brand.
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“Over the past few years, we have also seen growing demand directly from Korean customers, which confirmed that the interest in Yepoda extends beyond our international community.
“At the same time, Seongsu has established itself as one of the most exciting and influential beauty retail destinations in the world, making it the perfect place for our first physical presence in Korea.”
Van Bladel noted how “for us, timing was important”.
He added: “We wanted to make sure we had reached the right level of scale and brand maturity to execute this launch properly and create an experience that truly reflects the Yepoda brand.”
Experience first, retail second
The store location acts as an educational, immersive experience as well as a retail space.
“The ground floor of The Yepoda Haus Seoul is designed as a fully immersive experience; intentionally witho
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