The Singaporean brand is big online, has a strong social media presence, and is particularly popular with young target groups. Now it's hitting the shelves: dm is bringing SHEGLAM exclusively to its stores. The cosmetics brand from parent company Shein will be available in 1,500 German stores from October, which also has stores in countries such as Poland, Italy, Serbia, and the Czech Republic. SHEGLAM is also available from other retailers in Europe.
In the United Kingdom (UK), products for the face, eyes, and lips, as well as matching accessories, have been available at Boots since last month. Online sales are running in parallel. The Irish online store Boots.ie also carries the range. MAKEUP, bol.com in the Netherlands, and eMAG in Romania also list the brand.
In Italy, the brand is in the starting blocks for brick-and-mortar sales: the rollout is planned for early November across several chains – Ideabellezza (kick-off in the concept store in Naples, Via dei Mille), Naïma (perfume chain), Tigotà (drugstore) and Coin (department store). A total of 739 points of sale are involved.
dm is planning to do the same. We asked Sebastian Bayer, dm's managing director responsible for marketing and procurement, what is behind this decision.
How did the launch come about, and what opportunities do you see for the brand?
Sebastian Bayer: We got talking to SHEGLAM because many younger people in Germany are also interested in this cosmetics brand. Our goal is to put together a relevant range for our customers with choices that reflect their different expectations and needs.
In addition, SHEGLAM is a brand that has mainly been present online up to now. How might this affect the retail business?
The cosmetics brand does indeed have a digital presence, as evidenced not least by its 9.7 million followers on TikTok. However, SHEGLAM is now also available in brick-and-mortar stores in other European countries. Our observations show us that younger customers welcome the inclusion of these products in our dm stores.
What role does reaching and retaining target groups play in your decision?
Retaining people is not in line with our view of humanity. Our goal is to offer such good retail performance that we are and remain interesting and relevant to customers.
Which products or product groups will be available in the store?
The composition of the assortment has not yet been finalized in detail. We want to put together a selection that meets the expectations of our customers as well as our own standards and quality criteria.
The parent company Shein in particular is repeatedly criticized for its working and production conditions. How do you deal with this as the dm brand with regard to SHEGLAM?
We are investigating specific points of criticism and are also in discussion with those responsible at SHEGLAM. In addition, we are of course checking the products just as carefully as all other products in our range. There are no special rules for SHEGLAM. Based on the findings we have gained from our tests and from the open and active exchange with the company so far, we cannot understand the controversial reputation you describe.
