The doors of Marui Department Store in Yurakucho, Tokyo, opened at 11 a.m. on July 11 to a crowd of female shoppers. This marked the final day of Korean sports brand Andar’s pop-up store, launched on June 24.
“It was an ‘open run’ for the entire duration of the pop-up store’s operation,” said an Andar representative. T-shirts and pants featured in advertisements by model and actor Jun Ji-hyun sold out in three days, prompting the company to restock. Andar, which sells exclusively online aside from this pop-up, has reported over $8.7 million (12 billion won) in sales since its Japanese online store launched in January last year.
Korean retailers are increasingly entering the Japanese market, which domestic solid companies traditionally dominate. Korean fashion, cosmetics, and food brands are gaining traction among young Japanese consumers, who appreciate the quick trend adaptation and quality of Korean products. The global popularity of Hallyu, including K-pop, also contributes to this trend.
Olive Young, a major Korean beauty retailer, established a local subsidiary in Japan in May, driven by its success. The company reports a 125% annual growth in sales of private brand goods in Japan over the past four years. Additionally, sales from Japanese visitors to Korea increased by 285% year-on-year in the first quarter.
APR, another Korean cosmetics and home beauty device company, sold $3.26 million (4.5 billion won) of products during Qoo10 Japan’s discount event, Megawari, last month. “Over 21,000 units of our flagship product, Zero Pore Pad, were sold in 12 days,” said an APR representative. Korean cosmetics exports to Japan increased by 20%, from $320.47 million in the first five months of last year to $457.2 million during the same period this year.
Meanwhile, Japanese retailers are also engaging with Korean brands. Since May, Hyundai Department Store has been running a pop-up store on the third floor of Shibuya Parco in Tokyo, featuring brands like Martin Kim and MARITHÉ FRANÇOIS GIRBAUD. Sales at this pop-up surpassed $1.9 million (2.6 billion won) in two months, making it the highest-grossing pop-up in Parco’s history.
“The favorability of Korean products has increased, especially among young people in Japan,” said a retailer. “Korean products are perceived as high quality and trend-conscious.”
A fashion industry insider said, “There is significant overlap between Korean and Japanese tastes and body types. Korean companies are confident that successful products in Korea will also do well in Japan, and Japanese consumers trust products recognized in Korea.”
