A Korean skincare brand, into UK pharmacy retail
A founder-led skincare line with strong domestic sales and no European presence. Two prior attempts at UK entry had stalled at distributor stage.
CategoryBeauty
RouteSeoul to London
Engagement11 months
The problem
The brand had been approaching UK entry as an export problem. The range was too broad, the claim set did not survive EU cosmetic regulation, and both previous distributor conversations had ended once the margin stack was modelled honestly. There was also a narrative issue: the founder story that carried the brand at home did not mean anything to a UK buyer.
What we did
- Cut the launch range from 24 SKUs to 6, chosen on category gap rather than domestic bestseller status
- Rebuilt the claim set against EU cosmetic regulation before any buyer conversation, removing three claims that would not have survived review
- Modelled the margin stack backwards from shelf price, which set the minimum viable distributor terms
- Shortlisted four distributors, referenced all four, and recommended the third-largest on service rather than reach
- Ran a six-week seeding programme with category-authority creators ahead of listing, so the buyer saw demand before committing shelf
Where it landed
6
SKUs at launch, down from 24
4
distributors referenced before selection
2
quarters to range extension
- National pharmacy chain listing secured on the modelled margin, no listing fee
- Sell-through above the buyer's category benchmark in the first two quarters
- Range extension agreed at the first review, adding three SKUs
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