CJ Olive Young moving forward with U.S. brick-and-mortar store expansion

South Korea's beauty and lifestyle retailer, CJ OLIVE YOUNG, is aggressively executing a multi-phase brick-and-mortar expansion plan to tap into the booming U.S. demand for K-beauty products.

The retail chain, which already operates more than 1,380 stores across South Korea with annual sales exceeding $4.2 billion, opened its first 8,647-square-foot flagship store in Old Pasadena, Calif. (at the historic Tiffany & Shops building on Colorado Blvd.) on May 29, 2026. This was quickly followed by a 2,700-square-foot store at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles in June 2026.

The retailer plans to have five physical stores operating across California and the broader Western U.S. by early 2027.

To support future expansion, Olive Young has built a major distribution center in Bloomington, Calif. (San Bernardino County) to handle fulfillment for both physical retail supply and online orders.

The company has announced that its next major geographic target for brick-and-mortar stores will be in the New York area, followed by expansion into key eastern and south-central U.S. markets.

In addition to its branded stores, Olive Young is partnering with SEPHORA to introduce dedicated "K-beauty zones" online and in physical stores across the U.S. and Canada, dramatically accelerating brand awareness among mainstream shoppers. While Ulta Beauty carries a wide variety of individual K-beauty brands like COSRX, Peach & Lily, and Banila Co USA, Olive Young products are not yet sold at Ulta.

The U.S. K-beauty craze is driven by a shift toward a gentle, "skin-first" philosophy that prioritizes hydration and prevention over heavy makeup. Fueled by the global rise of K-pop music and K-dramas on Netflix, viral TikTok trends, and advanced, budget-friendly ingredients, these products have transitioned into mainstream American retail.

Read more: Retailer Olive Young's expansion mirrors K-beauty demand in US (CoStar News)