SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- CJ Olive Young Corp., South Korea's leading health and beauty retailer, said Monday it plans to operate seven stores in the United States by the first half of 2027.

In addition to its two existing stores in Los Angeles, the company plans to open four more outlets in the city and one in San Diego by June 2027, it said in a press release.

The expansion of its brick-and-mortar presence is aimed at helping South Korean beauty and lifestyle brands establish a foothold in the U.S. market and expand into other markets, the company said.

CJ Olive Young also plans to gradually expand its offline presence into the eastern United States, depending on market demand.

The U.S. is currently the only overseas market where CJ Olive Young operates physical stores.

The U.S. expansion comes amid growing sales to overseas customers, who accounted for 33 percent of the company's offline sales, or 1 trillion won (US$735 million), in the January-August period.

About 80 percent of the products sold at its U.S. stores will be Korean brands. The company plans to regularly update its product lineup to reflect rapidly changing K-beauty trends.

In May, it launched an online shopping mall dedicated to U.S. consumers, offering faster delivery at lower costs than its existing global online mall, it said.

This graphic, provided by CJ Olive Young Corp., shows the locations of its offline outlets in the United States. (PHOTO

This graphic, provided by CJ Olive Young Corp., shows the locations of its offline outlets in the United States. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

This graphic, provided by CJ Olive Young Corp., shows the locations of its offline outlets in the United States. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)