Watsons Opens its 3,800th Store in China

KUNMING , CHINA – Media OutReach – 21
November 2019 – A.S.
Watson Group is delighted to announce the grand opening of its 3,800^th
Watsons store in China, an important milestone for its market leadership in the
country. Located in Kunming, the largest city in Yunnan Province with GDP
growth of 8.9% last year, the store is designed to provide one-on-one beauty
services to customers, with fully integrated digital experience.

 

Malina Ngai (2^nd from left), CEO
of A.S. Watson (Asia & Europe) and Kulvinder
Birring (right), CEO of Watsons China officiate at the opening ceremony

Malina Ngai, CEO of A.S. Watson
(Asia & Europe)
officiated at the grand opening ceremony, “Celebrating the opening of Watsons
China’s 3,800^th store is a significant milestone for A.S. Watson
Group, as both ‘3’ and ‘8’ are the luckiest numbers in Chinese culture,
representing liveliness and prosperity.”

 

“Our
extensive physical store network provides unique touchpoints in over 470 cities
in China, connecting us to customers through in-store experience and digital
engagement. All stores provide 30-minute ‘click and collect’ service and
60-minute ‘click and delivery’ service which are widely used and appreciated by
customers. Including China, this year A.S. Watson is on plan to open 1,300 new
stores globally. That is, on average 1 new store every 7 hours.”

 

Serving Customers One-On-One

Watsons
China has launched VIP programme to ensure our
highest-spending members enjoy the premium privileges, which make the shopping
experience a real pleasure for those who are the top 10% highest spending
customers.

 

Gen
Z and Millennial shoppers are demonstrating increasing spending power in
Mainland China. Watsons is rejuvenating its business model to best meet the
demands of this rising segment. Spanning over 2,000 square feet, the new store
is equipped with “StyleMe 2.0”, an Augmented Reality technology to offer
different mix-and-match trendy looks. “Scan & Go” is available so customers
can scan QR code with their mobile phones to purchase the products directly
without waiting at the cashier.

 

The
new store also features the pioneering “One-on-one Beauty Consultation
Service”. Customers can enjoy this personalised service by connecting with the
store staff via the Watsons China WeChat account. If the selected product is
not available in a specific branch, Watsons staff will help customers to place
an order through the system. Customers can choose to have their order delivered
through courier, “Click & Collect” or the “1-Hour Flash Delivery” service.