Thailand
Aesthetic opens Thai branch
Aesthetic TBC, the 41-year-old Japanese skincare brand, has made its debut in Thailand, its first market outside Japan.
The first Aesthetic TBC counter was recently opened at Zen Department Store in Bangkok and five more counters will be added in the capital this year, requiring total investment of 25 million baht. The company appointed Asia Marketing Co Ltd, the joint venture between Inoue Industrial Co and a Thai investor, to operate the Aesthetic TBC business in Thailand.
Naoko Iwamoto, general manager for product planning at TBC Group, the maker of Aesthetic TBC skincare products in Japan, said it decided to expand into Thailand initially because the behaviour of Thais and Japanese in using beauty products is similar. The beauty product market in Thailand is also the biggest in Southeast Asia, she said.
“The Thai beauty product market is very dynamic and continues to grow every year because Thais love to look good all the time,” Mrs Iwamoto said.
Moreover, Thai tourist arrivals to Japan numbered 800,000 last year, which ranked second after China, and Thais have been very familiar with Japanese beauty products for years, she said.
“We know there are many skincare brands available in the market but we see huge potential in Thailand and hope Aesthetic TBC skincare products will become an alternative for Thais as we target middle- to high-income customers,” said Mrs Iwamoto.
In Japan the company’s products are available only at Aesthetic TBC salons, but in Thailand they will be available at skincare counters in leading retail chains.
Aesthetic TBC provides skincare products to salons in 47 provinces across Japan. With 2.5 million customers per year in Japan, the company has insight into customer product demands.
Yasushi Noda, director of Inoue Industrial Co, said the company plans to open 30 Aesthetic TBC counters in Thailand over the next three years with a sales projection of 150 million baht.
Apart from the Aesthetic TBC brand, Asia Marketing Co is negotiating with three beauty brands from Japan to bring their products to the Thai market in the near future.
Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1206097/aesthetic-opens-thai-branch