With Demand For Japanese Beauty Products Growing, Yoshitsu Sets Its Sights On The US, Gears Up For More Brick-And-Mortar Expansion - Seite 2

As part of the deal reached last fall, CROSSING has the exclusive rights to procure and distribute Yoshitsu's products through its sales channels including live-streaming e-commerce channels and online shops. Seen as a springboard for future similar alliances, Yoshitsu said at the time that the alliance is a mechanism to amplify the company's visibility in the U.S. market, elevate its brand and drive customer demand.

Reaching US Consumers Directly

In addition to selling its products through partners' sales channels, Yoshitsu is also reaching consumers directly in the U.S. by opening up retail locations in big cities around the country. The goal is to launch stores in New York, Boston, Seattle, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. In December it opened its first U.S. store in Seattle near the University of Washington. The U.S. flagship store is 6,000 square feet, featuring a range of more than 8,000 in-stock items, and is located near the expressway and the light rail station, which enhances accessibility, the company said.

To cater to local customers, Yoshitsu said the store sells a lot of tech-related products. In New York, Yoshitsu plans to focus on introducing a variety of cosmetics that cater to international tastes, and in Las Vegas, the store displays and counters will be full of products for customers traveling to Sin City.

The goal with its U.S. stores is to stock them with a diverse portfolio of products including cosmetics, skincare, over-the-counter drugs, nutritional supplements, home goods, food and alcoholic beverages. The stores will also have a local warehouse to support operations. Yoshitsu also created two new subsidiaries in the U.S.: Tokyo Lifestyle Holding Inc. and REIWATAKIYA BOS LLC. The company said it will use the two units to grow in the U.S., streamline international logistics and improve cross-border communications. With a local U.S. presence, the company has established a broad U.S. presence to better meet domestic U.S. market demands.

"Launching our direct-sale Stores in the U.S. is a transformative step for Yoshitsu. By streamlining operations in-house in the U.S., we're not just aiming to build closer ties with the U.S. market, but we are also seeking to enhance operational control to improve our service standards," said Kanayama. "We believe that the opening of the Stores will be instrumental in elevating our customers' shopping experience, from their initial interaction to post-purchase support."