Through the partnership, Shiseido Group, which owns Nars, will officially launch its global make-up brand Nars Cosmetics in the second half of 2023 in key cities in India
Mumbai: Shiseido Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. signed a strategic distribution partnership agreement with Global SS Beauty Brands Ltd., a subsidiary of Shoppers Stop, to expand the Japanese brand’s footprint in India, according to a joint press release on Thursday.
Through the partnership, Shiseido Group will officially launch its global make-up brand, Nars Cosmetics in India in the second half of 2023 in key cities, the release said. IndiaRetailing was the first to break the story of Shoppers Stop being in talks with the Japanese giant. Read more about it here.
Shoppers Stop will open Nars-branded boutiques in the country. The BSE-listed department store chain has been scouting for mall spaces for standalone Nars stores, according to two top mall executives.
IndiaRetailing had reported in September that Nars was planning to enter India and the Tokyo-based giant was in talks with Shoppers Stop and Tata Cliq for a potential partnership with one of them.
A delegation from Nars Cosmetics visited India in September to access the country’s market and held talks with Shoppers, Tata Cliq and a few other Indian companies.
One top executive of a company that was in talks with Nars had said that Nars is the most online-searched cosmetics brand in India.
Currently, Nars products are available on the online marketplaces of Amazon and Flipkart. Nars products are priced on Amazon’s India site at Rs 2,400 for a lip pencil and a limited-edition box containing a blush, contour and a lip palette for Rs 10,750.
Speaking about the partnership with Shiseido, Venu Nair, managing director and chief executive officer, Shoppers Stop said, “Beauty is a key strategic pillar for us. Our partnership with Shiseido Asia Pacific is in line with our commitment to bring to customers in India the best of Global brands. This collaboration will further strengthen Shoppers Stop’s purpose of inspiring consumers to look good and feel confident and will help grow the rapidly evolving Beauty market in India.”
Sharing Shiseido’s perspective, Nicole Tan, president and chief executive officer, Shiseido Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd, said, “We believe this a great time to expand our presence in India, and we are thrilled to have formalised the partnership with Global SS Beauty Brand/ Shoppers Stop. We look forward to leveraging their deep experience in premium beauty as well as their extensive network and omnichannel presence, to bring Nars to consumers in India”.
Shiseido Company, Ltd., is headquartered in Japan and is amongst the top global beauty manufacturers comprising of skincare, make-up and fragrance brands including Shiseido, Nars, Drunk Elephant, Clé de Peau Beauté, Narciso Rodriguez, Issey Miyake and Serge Lutens, amongst others.
Nars, headquartered in New York, was founded in 1994 by French make-up artist and photographer Francois Nars. In 2000, it was acquired by Japan’s beauty and cosmetics conglomerate Shiseido.
Established in 1991, Shoppers Stop Ltd. is India’s premier retailer of fashion and beauty brands. The company operates 96 department stores, eight premium home concept stores and 142 speciality beauty stores across the country. Its diversified omnichannel offering spans over 500 recognized and trusted brands across a wide range of products.
