K-beauty distributor Silicon2 is sharply expanding its offline business in the United States, pushing to secure up to 11 new stores for its own multi-brand retail chain MOIDA in the second half of this year alone. Combined with the three stores it already runs in the U.S. market, the number of outlets either operating or slated to open could reach 14 by year-end. CJ Olive Young is also expanding its directly operated stores in the country, signaling that competition among Korean companies to capture the U.S. K-beauty retail market is now in full swing.
Silicon2 opened three new MOIDA stores in the United States last month and is reviewing plans to open eight more by year-end, according to the beauty industry on the 15th. Specifically, the company is pursuing one opening this month, three in November and two in December. Opening dates for the remaining two stores have not yet been set.
Silicon2's U.S. store expansion has accelerated noticeably since the second half of this year. After unveiling its first outlet at Ontario Mills in California in June 2024, the company had secured only three stores through the first half of this year, including locations in Manhattan, New York, and Orange County, California. By sharply raising its opening plans in the second half, however, it is set to add more than three times the number of its existing stores within just a few months.
The regions it is entering are also diversifying. Early on, the company operated stores mainly in California and New York, where the Korean-American population is relatively large, but it has recently broadened its scope to Florida in the southeastern United States. Four stores in the Florida area have opened or are set to open between September and this month. The company then plans to roll out stores in succession in major western cities including San Francisco and San Diego.
A distinctive feature of its approach is the aggressive use of large shopping malls and outlets. Following Ontario Mills and The Outlets at Orange, both managed by U.S. mall operator Simon Property Group, the company is expanding into The Florida Mall, Sawgrass Mills and Las Americas Premium Outlets. North Shore Mall in Massachusetts and Potomac Mills in Virginia are also among the targeted sites. Using existing commercial complexes as bases makes it easier to reach major retail districts than building standalone stores, while naturally drawing in shoppers.
The expansion is expected to bring changes to Silicon2's distribution strategy as well. The company has grown mainly on business-to-business (B2B) operations, sourcing Korean cosmetics brands and supplying them to overseas retailers. More recently, it has broadened its scope to direct-to-consumer (B2C) sales through MOIDA stores. Analysts say the stores allow the company to gauge local consumers' purchasing preferences and product-by-product responses firsthand, which it can apply to brand sourcing and product lineups going forward. The ability to deploy the cosmetics brands and supply chains built up through its existing B2B business in running offline stores is also cited as a competitive strength.
MOIDA's latest expansion is expected to bring its competition with CJ Olive Young in the U.S. market into full swing. Olive Young opened its first U.S. store in Pasadena, California, in May this year, followed by a second outlet at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles in June. It aims to operate at least five stores in California by the first half of next year. While MOIDA is rapidly adding outlets centered on shopping malls and outlets, Olive Young is leading with large stores that emphasize customer experience. Its first Pasadena store spans about 803 square meters and offers free skin diagnostics and one-on-one consultations. The company is also pursuing a strategy to strengthen online and offline sales together by linking local online malls with logistics infrastructure.
Olive Young is also expanding its brand supply chain, including B2B operations, through partnerships with local retailers such as Sephora in the United States. "As Korean distributors' U.S. operations move into full swing, competition over local K-beauty brand sourcing and sales channels is expected to intensify further," an official in the beauty industry said.