Hankyu’s “Beauty Academy” Wins Asia-Pacific Best Retail Innovation Concept Award

By Chi Binghui / Compiled & Reported

 

Opened just over a year ago, the Taipei branch of Uni-President Hankyu Department Store has generated buzz with UNIQLO and its innovative Beauty Department. Its fifth-floor “Beauty Academy,” a members-only space designed exclusively for women with a romantic aesthetic style, was recently awarded the prestigious 2011 “Most Innovative Retail Concept Award” by the Federation of Asia Pacific Retailers Associations (FAPRA), making it a popular spot for women to discover trends and enjoy afternoon tea.

Uni-President Hankyu Department Store Taipei stated that with its positioning as a Beauty Department, the store promotes a lifestyle attitude of “appreciating fashion.” The nearly 100-ping “Beauty Academy” plays a key role in this concept. Over the past year, it has attracted around 50,000 visitors. In addition to an afternoon tea area, it offers professional consulting services through a three-step beauty enhancement program. In the future, it will also integrate the concept of “TAIPEI SISTERS,” propelling Taiwan’s department store industry into a new realm.

This year, the “Beauty Academy” earned recognition from the international organization FAPRA (Federation of Asia-Pacific Retailers Associations). The space was lauded for creating a comprehensive experience through the six senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and mind—offering innovative services that cultivate customers’ appreciation of beauty at every level of consciousness. This achievement helped Uni-President Hankyu stand out among 17 Asia-Pacific department stores and retailers competing for four major corporate excellence awards, making it the only Taiwanese company to receive this honor this year.