CJ Olive Young will increase investment outside the Seoul metropolitan area this year, spending 123.8 billion won on new openings, renovations and logistics upgrades, industry sources said. The company is focusing less on adding locations and more on boosting competitiveness and operating efficiency at existing stores, citing rising needs for in-store infrastructure upgrades such as electronic labels. It plans to place more than half of its large stores outside the capital region.

South Korean e-commerce companies are expanding their beauty categories as a new growth engine, leveraging existing memberships and logistics infrastructure. Platforms including Coupang, Kurly and Musinsa are widening their business scope, with early movers bringing in luxury and indie brands and later entrants strengthening foundations through offline touchpoints. Musinsa, Zigzag and Ably are also pushing beauty expansion. Companies are also increasing private-label launches, while competition is expected to intensify.