The Indie Beauty Expo is continuing its European expansion.The expo, which launched in 2015 and now hosts events in three U.S. cities and will enter London this October, is launching its second European show in Berlin on March 29 and 30, 2019.“We looked around Europe for other shows, but felt Germany is an underserved market and is a close location for other people in Europe to get to,” said Nader Naeymi-Rad, cofounder of the Indie Beauty Expo. “Berlin as a city is increasingly becoming a cosmopolitan destination for technology, fashion and beauty.”The Berlin expo will be modeled after the U.S. shows, showcasing brands that have previously presented in addition to new brands based in Berlin and neighboring cities. Similar to London, the Indie Beauty Expo saw a strong interest by German consumers in U.S. beauty brands and wanted to give them the chance to experience the brands in person as well as discover new local brands. The Indie Beauty Expo is expecting to showcase between 80 to 100 brands at the Berlin show.“They have significant purchasing power,” Naeymi-Rad said of European consumers. “They love beauty products, innovation and supporting entrepreneurs. There are strong retailers there and great brands looking for a platform and venue to help them reach the right audience.”Along with the Berlin show, the Indie Beauty Expo is also partnering with European beauty e-tailer, Feelunique, for its first European retail partnership. Starting in July, Feelunique is onboarding 30 brands in skin care, hair care and color cosmetics presented across the Indie Beauty Expo’s events available for purchase in the U.K. and France.“For many years, the industry has been talking about Korean beauty and now Japanese beauty, but there’s a bigger movement in U.S. beauty that’s rarely talked about,” said Joël Palix, chief executive officer of Feelunique. “The biggest change in the industry is there’s been a strong arrival of successful U.S. brands on the market. On our site there is a strong appetite for U.S. brands because there is a lot of creativity and innovation coming from them. Based in London, it’s hard for us to identify the next champions of U.S. beauty and the Indie Beauty Expo can help us do that.”Feelunique, which launched in 2005 and carries more than 500 brands, carries many buzzy U.S.-based brands such as Anastasia Beverly Hills, Living Proof and Hourglass. The partnership with the Indie Beauty Expo allows Feelunique to continue offering new and interesting brands not available in Europe.“I feel that we have this chemistry and have this passion for indie and emerging brands,” Palix continued. “We’re an indie retailer in a way and we’re proud to be a platform for indie brands to succeed.”This is the Indie Beauty Expo’s second retailer partnership. Last year, it teamed with Neiman Marcus for the retailer’s ShopTheExpo events where brands featured at expos were showcased at two doors, one at Dallas’ NorthPark Center and one at Newport Beach’s Fashion Island, and are available for purchase on Neiman Marcus’ web site.Feelunique plans to release new brands and products curated by the Indie Beauty Expo every quarter and will collaborate for the London expo. While no other locations have been set for the Indie Beauty Expo, it will see if there is a demand for additional European expos and eventually launch an expo in Asia.
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