MOIDA K-beauty store in Milan, Italy (Photo : Silicon2)

Global K-beauty distributor opens in Italy and extends its reach across the UK beyond London. It has opened its first MOIDA K-beauty store in Milan, Italy, and is adding stores in regional cities across the United Kingdom.

The first MOIDA store opened on April 25 on Corso Buenos Aires, one of Milan's busiest shopping streets. On opening day, shoppers lined up all the way down the stairs to get in. Functional skincare drew especially strong interest, led by the Dr.Althea '345 Relief Cream', the celimax 'The Vita-A Retinol Shot', and the Biodance 'Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask'.

In the UK, Silicon2 is growing beyond London. After opening in Manchester last year, it added a store in a Birmingham shopping center in April. These stores focus on proven best-sellers such as Beauty of Joseon 'sunscreen' and the medicube 'Zero Pore Pad' to build a loyal local customer base.

The company also plans five more UK stores, starting with a location at Battersea Power Station in London in June and followed by stores in Leeds and Newcastle.

Each store's brand lineup is based on data from Stylekorean, Silicon2's own e-commerce platform, so that it matches demand in each market. MOIDA stores carry major K-beauty brands such as medicube, Anua, and COSRX, along with a wide range of up-and-coming indie brands.

"The response in Milan shows that K-beauty can compete strongly in Western Europe," a Silicon2 said. "We will keep expanding our presence in key European hubs to grow our share of the global market."