@Cosme hitting debut in Taiwan

Japanese online cosmetic store @Cosme is to open a brick-and-mortar store in Taiwan in May.

It is the spearhead of a plan by its owner, Istyle, to open stores across Asia.

Istyle began opening @cosme stores in Japan in 2007, bringing together drugstore and specialty store brands. The chain grew from a website that gained popularity by word of mouth, the stores making it easy for customers to find products that rank high on the site.

However, Istyle’s business plan for the rest of Asia will follow the exact opposite path of its success in Japan: it will first open stores, then launch websites in the native language.

“We will establish a foothold in foreign markets by first opening stores,” says Istyle president Tetsuro Yoshimatsu.

The company plans to add three or more stores in Taiwan and Hong Kong this year.

So far, most of Istyle’s overseas business dealings have been focussed on wholesaling cosmetics and crossborder e-commerce in China.