Watsons Personal Care Stores (Philippines) Inc. is confident it can hit its sales target of P10 billion this year, making it the fourth-highest grosser in 13 countries, next only to China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Watsons which started operations in the Philippines five years ago in partnership with the SM Group, has seen sales go up by 20 percent yearly. Krish Iyer, managing director said that 170 Watsons stores nationwide sold P8.5 billion worth of health and beauty products last year.

Our sales target is to always surpass the previous year’s figures by at least 20 percent,’ Iyer said. Watsons is the flagship health and beauty operation of the A.S. Watson Group (ASW), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa Limited—the largest health and beauty retailer in the world, with outlets in 36 markets operated by over 98,000 staff, which serves more than 25 million customers per week worldwide.

Watsons now is the largest health and beauty retail chain in Asia operating over 1,300 stores and 680 pharmacies in 13 markets—Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland China, Macau, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Korea, Indonesia, Turkey, Estonia, and Slovenia.

‘Of the 170 stores in the Philippines, employing 2,800; 20 are street stores, 35 are inside non-SM malls. The rest are all SM-based,’ Iyer said, adding that Watsons plans to open 20-25 stores per year. ‘We are the leading player in the local market for skin and hair care, cosmetics, health and wellness products retailing,’ Iyer said.

Among the lines that they carry, Iyer said that the best-sellers are from the hair and skin care line, comprising more than a third of their sales figures. ‘Our studies show that Filipinas are more particular with their hair care products. It is only in our Philippines stores that we have the widest range of hair care products,’ Iyer said.

He added that next to hair care, skin care products—particularly those with whitening solutions—are also in demand. ‘With the numerous products available in the Philippines, we try to accommodate all.

But we also look at slow movers. We normally give them 2-3 months shelf life. After which, we stop retailing (these products),’ Iyer said.

‘Our market is generally described as young and young-at-heart. We cater to the B, even the higher C market,’ Iyer added. ‘But we are focused on giving everyone an international shopping experience.

Whether you’re here in the Philippines or in another country, stepping into a Watsons store will give you that feeling that you’re somewhere else,’ Iyer said. That’s why, Iyer said, their stores in all their 13 markets are designed almost alike.

Watsons caters to a variety of lifestyles with an unrivalled diversity of products. ‘We offer a unique experience to customers through professional advice, interesting shopping environments and the promise of great value every day,’ Iyer said.

Watsons recently refurbished its flagship outlet at SM Mall of Asia.  ‘We wanted to create a shopping environment that reflects the personality and lifestyle of our young at heart, hip, and trendy customers,’ says Iyer.

‘Now, they will be able to navigate easily around the store through our more spacious aisles.’ Besides an improved store design with a new and exclusive product lineup, Watsons now boasts of a more attentive and customer-dedicated ambience. ‘We source our products from all over the world in order to provide only the best health, wellness and beauty solutions for our customers,’ Iyer added.

Beauty consultants offer makeovers and need-to-know hair and beauty tips. This September, Watsons Pharmacy will be providing medical consultations, body fat analysis, blood pressure reading and skin screening services with instant results.