The Biggest Health & Beauty Store in Korea
190 pyeong-sized "Watsons" Opens

Korea (30 June 2005)

  • Asia's No.1 Health & Beauty Store,"Watsons" opens its Myeong-dong store on 30 June 2005.

  • Various gifts including 1-carat diamond valued at KRW 4 million.

  • Unique imported and domestic goods of 14,000 latest health & beauty items at great prices.

  • Watsons expect to be a bridge for domestic brands to enter foreign market.

    • GS-Watsons,a 50:50 joint venture between GS Retail (formally LG Mart) and A.S. Watson,the retail division of Hutchison Whampoa Limited.,opens its 2nd store,the biggest health & beauty store in Korea,in Myeong-dong on 30 June 2005.

    Watsons is a multi-shop with health & beauty goods such as cosmetics,hair care,body care,health functional food,small gift items,etc. targeting to young women. The 2nd store of GS-Watsons,Myeong-dong store is 190 pyeong over 3 floors and offering over 14,000 latest items of health,beauty and fun related goods to meet Korean women's needs with high interest in health & beauty.

    Especially there is also a pharmacy and nail art in this new store to meet Korean women's varied needs in one place.

    GS-Watsons is going to give out fortune cookies with lucky messages from its opening date,30 June to 2 July in Myeong-dong area and one winner will receive a one-carat diamond valued at KRW 4 million to celebrate the opening of Watsons Myeong-dong store. There are also various gifts including MP3 players,Watsons gifts vouchers,etc.

    GS-Watsons is not only offering unique imported goods to Korean women by expanding its store network in Korea,but is also taking domestic brands to foreign markets. As a good example,Missha has been recently launched in Taiwan by Watsons and received a good reaction from Taiwanese women.

    Gordon Reid,Regional Managing Director of Watsons Taiwan and GS-Watsons said,"Watsons Myeong-dong store opening allows Korean young women to enjoy the largest ranges of foreign and domestic health & beauty items at great prices at one place," he added,"Watsons is going to firmly position itself in Korea in future years by opening 10 stores each year."

    Company Information
    GS-Watsons is planning to be the market leader by combining convenience store No.1,GS25's distribution infrastructure,information system,site development know-how and A.S. Watson's cost-effective store operating system and international sourcing capabilities in a stable and speedy manner. In addition,GS-Watsons is planning to expand its store network by opening over 10 stores each year.

    A.S. Watson is a Hong Kong-based multinational company operating 15 brands and 6,500 stores in 31 markets. is running 1,020 stores in 10 countries of Hong Kong,China,Philippines,Singapore,Taiwan,Macau,Thailand,Malaysia,etc.,has entered Korean market with its Hongik store last March.

    GS Retail is a multi-retailer operating convenience store. GS25 (2,000 stores),GS Supermarket (85 stores),GS Mart (15 hypermarkets),GS Square (3 department stores). GS Group,which GS Retail is affiliated with,is an "energy/retail" group with a holding company,GS Holdings,and four subsidiary companies including,GS Retail,GS Caltex,GS Home Shopping and GS Sports,and an affiliated company GS Construction. GS Group is ranked at the 7th in the business world with its asset up to KRW 18 billion.

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