Burberry Beauty launched in Korea with fanfare in 2011 — it was gone by 2014

Burberry Beauty, the cosmetic and fragrance division of the British luxury house Burberry, launched in South Korea in November 2011 with a flagship counter at Lotte Department Store's Jamsil branch. The launch was met with fanfare — Koreans had long been obsessed with Burberry's signature tartan pattern, and the brand seemed poised for success in one of the world's most competitive beauty markets.

The optimism was short-lived. Over the next two years, Burberry Beauty managed to open only two additional stores — one in Daejeon and one in Sogong-dong, Seoul. By December 2013, the Daejeon store had closed. By January 2014, only a single counter remained at Lotte Department Store in downtown Seoul. Hicos, Burberry Beauty's Korean importer and distributor, was preparing to shutter the brand entirely.

The collapse was visible in the brand's pricing behaviour. Burberry Beauty had once been notorious for refusing discounts, insisting that promotions were beneath its luxury positioning. But in its final months in Korea, the brand was offering buy-one-get-one-free campaigns and selling products at 80% off at employee family sales — a dramatic reversal that signalled a brand in distress.

Industry sources cited multiple causes: anemic sales for more than two years, declining brand power, criticism over overpricing, direct online purchases eroding margins, and a saturated market where trends moved at breakneck speed. The parent Burberry fashion division's operating profit had fallen nearly 40% between April 2012 and March 2013, compounding the beauty line's struggles. Burberry Beauty's exit was part of a broader wave — Avon had withdrawn from Korea in early 2013, and Helena Rubinstein and Givenchy had reduced their presence to duty-free shops only.