Japan’s premium cosmetics brand Nars is planning to enter India and the Tokyo-based giant is in talks with Shoppers Stop and Tata Cliq for a potential partnership with one of them, two people familiar with the development said.
One person said that a delegation from Nars Cosmetics is scheduled to visit India later this month and the Japanese brand will take a call to either partner with Shoppers Stop or with Tata Cliq.
“It is the most online searched cosmetics brands in India,” he said, asking not to be named. “It is very popular here.”
Tata Cliq declined to comment while Shoppers Stop did not respond to IndiaRetailing’s request seeking comment.
Currently Nars products are available in India on online marketplaces of Amazon and Flipkart. Nars products are priced on Amazon’s India site for Rs 2,400 for a lip pencil to a limited-edition box containing a blush, contour and a lip palette for Rs 10,750.
Nars was founded in 1994 by French make-up artist and photographer Francois Nars and subsequently the brand, which is popular for its blushes and concealers, was acquired in 2000 by Japan’s beauty and cosmetics conglomerate Shiseido.
Both Tata and Shoppers Stop are expanding aggressively in India’s rapidly growing beauty and cosmetics market.
IndiaRetailing had reported last month that Tata Group is foraying into the beauty and cosmetics business with a standalone venture to tap into India’s growing market for such products. Tata will make its beauty and cosmetics standalone entry through Tata Cliq and the e-commerce platform is currently testing an app called Tata Cliq Palette and the app dedicated to beauty and cosmetics is scheduled to launch in the coming months.
On the other hand, Shoppers Stop is also expanding its beauty and cosmetics portfolio. Shoppers Stop plans to open 15-20 beauty and cosmetics stores of Estee Lauder and its SS Beauty format every year.
