CJ Olive Young partners with UAE's LHG on K-beauty product retail

▲ This photo provided by CJ Olive Young Corp. shows its store in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

   SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Yonhap) -- CJ Olive Young Corp., the retail unit of South Korea's food-to-cosmetics conglomerate CJ Group, said Thursday it has partnered with Life Healthcare Group (LHG), a major health care company in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to sell Korean beauty products in the Middle Eastern nation.

   Under the memorandum of understanding (MOU), the two companies plan to distribute Korean cosmetics and beauty products across 580 stores of Life Pharmacy, a drugstore chain operated by LHG, according to CJ Olive Young.

   The company said it aims to use the agreement to strengthen its network of local distribution partners and provide broader support for promising K-beauty brands seeking to enter or expand in the Middle East market.

   "As people in the Middle East are familiar with Korean culture, the region's beauty and health care industries have strong growth potential for Korean beauty brands," a CJ Olive Young official said.

   "Through cooperation with LHG, which has built a robust distribution infrastructure across the UAE, we expect to accelerate the overseas expansion of domestic small and medium-sized cosmetics brands," the official added.

   Currently, CJ Olive Young sells its own skin care and cosmetics brands, such as Bring Green, WakeMake and Colorgram, in Middle Eastern markets, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, through local retailers.

   Its products are also available through its cross-border e-commerce platform, Olive Young Global.

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