Ahead of its May and June openings in Pasadena and Westfield Century City, OLIVE YOUNG brought eight future U.S. store managers and assistant store managers to Seoul to learn how the brand’s service approach, operating DNA and K-beauty platform come to life
As OLIVE YOUNG prepares to open its first two U.S. stores in Pasadena and Westfield Century City this May and June, some of the most important groundwork had already taken place not in California but in Seoul.
Beginning March 10, OLIVE YOUNG brought SMs (store managers) and ASMs (assistant store managers) from its two upcoming U.S. locations to Seoul for an eight-day HQ training program ahead of the openings — an immersive initiative designed to help them experience the company’s way of working firsthand and bring its operational expertise, service philosophy and cultural DNA to the U.S. market.
Through HQ alignment sessions, one-on-one job shadowing, flagship store visits and service training, participants got a closer look at how OLIVE YOUNG’s brand experience is built on the ground. Just as important, the program showed how OLIVE YOUNG operates not only as a beauty retailer but as a K-beauty platform where customers can explore, test, consult and build routines tailored to their needs.
Hands-on Learning at OLIVE YOUNG N Seongsu
One of the major training stops was OLIVE YOUNG N Seongsu, the company’s flagship store in Seongsu — a district that has recently become one of Seoul’s most visible hubs for beauty, fashion and culture. The store has also positioned itself as a landmark K-beauty space and a testing ground for OLIVE YOUNG’s evolving retail model.
“These gift bags were prepared for today’s training participants at OLIVE YOUNG N Seongsu.”
With that, a training lead handed out gift bags filled with travel items and beauty products. It felt less like stepping into a formal classroom and more like entering a live customer experience.
Designed as more than a store, OLIVE YOUNG N Seongsu brings together curated beauty selections, trend-driven spaces and specialized customer services. In its first year, the location welcomed more than 2.5 million visitors, reinforcing its role as both a new Seongsu landmark and an immersive, experience-driven K-beauty space.
At the store, the U.S. SMs and ASMs learned by moving through the experience themselves. As they followed demonstrations, tried services and asked questions throughout the session, they were able to see how diagnostics led into consultation, and how consultation led into product recommendations and routine-building. The structure made clear that OLIVE YOUNG’s service style is not centered on simply recommending products but on helping customers better understand their needs through guided, hands-on experiences.
Among the many sessions, one experience stood out in particular: the Skin Scan Pro. For Teresa Nicolas, SM of OLIVE YOUNG’s upcoming Pasadena store, the training helped clarify how OLIVE YOUNG combines technology with personalized guidance. “The Skin Scan Pro is interactive, it’s user-friendly and it helps customers actually understand their skin,” she said. “It’s not just about using a device. Beauty advisors really take the time to come up with routines from start to finish and guide the experience in a way that’s tailored to what customers need. That’s what sets OLIVE YOUNG apart.”
Another highlight was OLIVE YOUNG’s makeup experience, “FIND YOUR COLOR.” As beauty consultants recommended shades based on skin tone and shared makeup tips, the participants weren’t simply observing a process — they were experiencing it from the customer’s point of view. Watching the change take shape in the mirror, several responded with audible “wows,” experiencing firsthand the flow and satisfaction of the service. In that moment, they were able to see why OLIVE YOUNG places such strong emphasis on customer experience.
Learning the DNA, Not Just the Job
The overall training program was designed so the SMs and ASMs could understand OLIVE YOUNG’s philosophy, observe operations in the field and experience service execution firsthand. It began with sessions on the company’s core values, philosophy and operating standards, then continued into one-on-one buddy shadowing, major store visits and hands-on training.
A training lead described the program as “one designed to guide participants through stages of understanding, empathy and embodiment.” The lead explained, “the goal was not simply to help them understand company strategy but to instill OLIVE YOUNG’s way of working — from trend leadership and strong execution to collaboration, communication and growing together — as a mindset they could carry back to the U.S.”
Among these components, job shadowing played a particularly important role. The U.S. SMs were assigned to training stores selected with their future U.S. locations in mind and were paired with buddies for close, day-to-day learning.
To reflect the environments they will manage in the U.S., Pasadena SMs were matched with Central Gangnam Town, where they could observe how experiential modules such as Skin Scan and touch-up services are combined with product curation and shop-in-shop operations. Westfield Century City SMs were assigned to Parnas Samsung Town to learn how to increase inventory turnover, convert foot traffic into purchases and maximize store capacity in a mall setting. In both cases, the goal was to help them see how customer service standards and store execution take shape in different retail contexts, laying the groundwork for a stable launch in the U.S.
For Saul Martinez, SM of OLIVE YOUNG’s upcoming Westfield Century City store, that firsthand exposure made all the difference. “You can’t really write down a culture. It’s about embracing it,” he said. “Seeing everything in person gave me those ‘aha’ moments. Concepts that had only existed in my head suddenly connected.”
That’s what made the program more than a short orientation. Rather than passing along a manual, OLIVE YOUNG asked its future SMs and ASMs to absorb how the company thinks, works and serves customers — and then carry that DNA into a new market.
Bringing OLIVE YOUNG’s K-Beauty Platform to the US
Ultimately, the eight-day journey was about how OLIVE YOUNG’s service and operating DNA could be translated for the U.S. market. At the same time, the company plans to operate with both global standards and a clear localization strategy in mind. “Strict product management standards and visual merchandising quality will remain part of OLIVE YOUNG’s global standards in the U.S., while softer details — including service style and specific behavioral guidelines — will be localized to reflect the needs and tendencies of local customers and employees,” the training lead said.
The participants repeatedly pointed to one defining difference: OLIVE YOUNG’s customer care begins not with pushing products but with understanding the customer first and then building a routine around that person’s needs.
“In the U.S., there can be a lot of ‘buy, buy, buy,’ but OLIVE YOUNG feels different,” Teresa said. “It’s more personalized to what the customer actually needs.”
She also said OLIVE YOUNG can become a platform through which U.S. customers experience K-beauty in a fuller, more engaging way. “K-beauty is still new enough in the U.S. that customers are excited to learn more,” Teresa explained. “And as more people become interested in natural-looking skin rather than heavy makeup, OLIVE YOUNG can become a place where they compare products, discover what works for them and build new routines.”
Saul also pointed to the growing momentum of K-beauty in the U.S. He said the combination of offline trust, professional guidance and products already familiar to many online shoppers could be especially powerful. “Now shoppers can actually go into a store and purchase the items they’ve been buying online. It’ll be a playground for adults,” he said, adding with a laugh that he would not be surprised to see strong interest — even lines outside the store.
Back in the U.S., these managers will serve as the bridge — passing along what they absorbed in Seoul to their teams and adapting OLIVE YOUNG’s service model for a different market. As Saul put it, “This training made it much clearer what we’re trying to build in the U.S. Not everyone on my team will have the chance to come to Korea, so it’s on us to recreate that experience for them.”
When the Pasadena and Westfield Century City stores open this year, customers will not simply be stepping into a new K-beauty retail space. They will be entering an environment shaped by managers who learned firsthand in Seoul how OLIVE YOUNG’s service approach, customer care and curated beauty experience come to life. The HQ training program was the first step in bringing OLIVE YOUNG’s Seoul-built service model to its first U.S. stores.
