The company is set to take on existing beauty retail brands Nykaa and Sephora in the luxury beauty space

In a bid to make most of the growing demand for beauty products in the country, Tata Group is planning to open ‘beauty tech’ stores across the country to sell premium cosmetic products. The company is looking to attract what it calls the ‘beauty enthusiast’ segment in the age group of 18 to 45 who have disposable income and are willing to spend on high value beauty products.

The beauty tech stores are expected to have virtual makeup kiosks and digital skin analysis tools to help customers make an informed purchase. Tata Group is in talks with more than two dozen companies to supply exclusive products to the new stores. It is already looking at brands like The Honest Company, Gallinee and Ellis Brooklyn as potential partners in the beauty segment.

With this move, the company plans to take on already popular beauty retail brands like Sephora and Nykaa for a share of the fast-growing $16 billion, Indian beauty and personal care market.

Tata’s first “beauty tech” store is likely to open in March, with further expansion stretching into next fiscal year beginning April. According to sources familiar with the plan, the ‘beauty tech stores’ will be first set up in bigger cities with higher purchasing power and higher consumer awareness like Delhi, Mumbai etc. There could be as many as 40 such stores across the country.

This is being seen as an extension to Tata’s online luxury retail space Tata CLiQ. The stores will follow similar branding palette as Tata CLiQ with bright red façade and interiors. According to the release by the company, 70% of the products will be on skin care and makeup. Inside the stores, there will be digital kiosks allowing customers to try on dozens of lipstick shades virtually on screens and to get digital skin tests to find out what products might work best for them.