Apparel Group, Nykaa partner to set up omnichannel beauty retail platform in GCC

Nykaa, India’s leading beauty and lifestyle retailer, has received board approval to sign an agreement with UAE-headquartered retail conglomerate Apparel Group.

Nykaa will leverage the Apparel Group’s retail infrastructure network and deep market relationships to build GCC-focused beauty offerings in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Founded by Falguni Nayar in 2012, Nykaa disrupted the Indian beauty market with its content-to-commerce expertise, to create elevated shopping experiences for Indian consumers, both online and offline. Nykaa, featured in the list of 2022 TIME100 most influential companies, has 112 retail stores (as of June 30, 2022), offering over 4,500 brands across platforms.

Through this strategic alliance with the Apparel Group, Nykaa aims to extend its highly focused value offering and drive the region’s offline and online retail growth story.

Falguni Nayar, founder and CEO, Nykaa said, “We now look forward to recreating our distinct beauty retail value proposition internationally, beginning with the GCC, and with the Apparel Group. Much like our own story, the Apparel Group has written their success in the GCC owing to an acute sense of consumer needs and a solid foundation of offline retail that includes robust local partnerships, fulfilment centres and supply chain models. Through this alliance, we are confident of growing the GCC beauty market and bringing the best of both brands to a new world of consumers.”

Sima Ganwani Ved, founder and chairperson, Apparel Group said, “Since its inception in 1996, the Apparel Group has been focused on addressing the changing needs of its diverse customers across our presence in GCC, India, Southeast Asia & Africa. We understand our markets and our consumers and continually strive to exceed their expectations through our innovative and forward-thinking mindset. Our omnichannel approach, which includes the first ever Phygital store in the GCC region, has made us the partner of choice for a large plethora of brands.

“This alliance is going to be a new chapter in our expansion journey as we look forward to leveraging each other’s strengths and offering unique value propositions to our consumers in the GCC region. So, we are ready to embark on what will be history in the making.”