“It’s all about the people,” said Christina Woo, chief executive of Lush Korea.

While I’ve heard this line before, Woo’s actions spoke for themselves.

As I moved to hand her my business card, she politely stood back and let her staff say hello first.

It was a small gesture, but it stuck in my mind.

Even during the interview, Woo was all about letting her staff ― the Lush Happy People ― talk, intercepting only when I directed a question specifically to her. 

But when it came down to it, it was clear that this woman was behind the smashing success of Lush Korea.

One of the company’s biggest achievements is how the flagship Myeong-dong branch, one of the 55 shop run by Lush Korea, is ringing up the highest sales of any of Lush shop in the world.

“We hope to eventually raise this number to between 80 and 100,” Woo said, stressing that each store was the result of hard work and passion.

As for the spas, Woo is aiming to launch a total of five units. Lush Korea currently runs two, with one in Apgujeong and the other in Itaewon.

Lush Korea is the first among all of Lush’s global partners to run a spa, according to Woo.

The U.K.-based cosmetics retailer’s products are entirely handmade, and they include soaps, shower gels, shampoos and hair conditioners, face masks and lotions.

More importantly, Lush is against animal testing and strives to maximize its use of fresh and environmentally friendly ingredients such as vegetables, fruit, honey and essential oils. The company is known for its loyal consumer base.

“This year, we are hoping to cut down the use of artificial preservatives to almost zero,” Woo said. “This way, we want to offer uncompromised quality created from safer and friendlier ingredients.”

Societal impact

One of the most conspicuous aspects of Lush, according to the chief executive, is its keen sense of awareness of social issues.

This is why Lush holds annual expos featuring programs to show why it thinks animal testing should be banned.

“Our demonstrations, you must understand, are quite tame compared to those hosted by Lush branches in other countries, but in their own way, they convey the right message to the consumers,” Woo said.

In a similar vein, Lush Korea avidly engages in social contributions. One example was the support it showed for a local museum dedicated to comfort women.

Located in Busan, the facility was on the verge of closure. Lush Korea helped raise funds for it, citing the issue as a crucial part of Korean history.

“It was not only about the comfort women, but also about the valuable related archives at the museum that we wanted to preserve,” Woo said.

Young and talented North Korean defectors are also getting a hand from Lush Korea. By organizing and supporting an amateur band that these youths can perform in, the company believes it is helping them reach out to the rest of the world.

All this is possible, Woo said, because the employees all have a fierce passion for their work.

“Most of the staff are dedicated to social causes, and they are determined to contribute through their work at Lush.”

Lush concerts

But it was not always such smooth sailing for the retailer.

Before Lush Korea became what it is today, it had a lot of persuading to do to convince its headquarters to adopt a localized strategy.

This was not because the headquarters was unwilling to offer support, but because it is difficult for any multinational headquarters to change its perceptions.

“This was why I strongly believed that successful localization was one of the keys to our current success,” Woo said.

One way Lush won the hearts of Korean consumers was with the annual concert that the company has been holding since 2011.

It took some time to convince the headquarters that the event would be worthwhile, according to Woo.

The incident that bowled over the U.K. top brass happened last year, when the company ended up holding an unscheduled concert.

A large number of concertgoers had been turned away because Lush Korea had arranged a venue that could not accommodate the volume. The firm had believed the event would not draw a big crowd as it was scheduled shortly after the tragic sinking of the Sewol ferry.

After much contemplation, the company made a bold decision to hold another concert for those who had not been able to attend the first show ― free of charge.

“We wanted to really show how sorry we were, and thankfully, everyone loved it,” Woo said. “Our head office was also impressed, calling it a truly brave move.”

The trust of the head office has culminated in the Lush “full kitchen” that will open next year.

The full kitchen is a Lush factory that can produce all of the company’s products. Lush operates only seven such factories in six nations.

In Asia, Japan is the only other country with a full kitchen. By Christmas, Lush Korea expects to roll out its complete lineup at the kitchen.

“The U.K. headquarters has its full trust in Lush Korea, knowing that we have and will do our best to make sure their philosophy is slowly but steadily spreading in Korea,” Woo said.

By Kim Ji-hyun (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)