/PRZWT/ Elegant glass medicine bottles stand gracefully on the shelves, bearing the weight of a century's passage; traditional calendars and soda advertisements from the Republic era gently evoke the warm memories of "old Guangdong people"... One after another, these replicated items with time-honored marks make their appearance, and the one you are familiar with, Watsons, is taking you on a "time-traveling" journey.
On February 10th, Watsons launched the first "Watsons Pharmacy" retro-themed pop-up store in Guangzhou, celebrating the 185th anniversary of its parent company Watsons Group. This marks a milestone in the evolution of the Hong Kong-based first Western pharmacy into an internationally renowned health and beauty retail group. Moreover, through a grand event that combines Cantonese traditions with contemporary trends, it ignited the Spring Festival consumption boom in the Flower City.
Accompany customers in every moment of health and beauty with inheritance and innovation
The Chu Chiu Group has a long history. It was formerly known as "Hong Kong Dispensary" and was later named after its first store manager, Mr. Chu Chiu (Alexander Skirving Watson), bringing Western medicine and health concepts to more customers and guiding them on the path to health. Despite going through changes and challenges throughout the years, Chu Chiu has maintained its original commitment to caring for customers' health. With its dedication to providing excellent service and its commitment to genuine products, it has continuously innovated and achieved breakthroughs, becoming a highly trusted brand that accompanies customers throughout every moment of health and beauty.
The first retro pop-up store is located in the Shamen Historical and Cultural District. This area not only witnessed the century-long integration of Chinese and Western cultures, but also once housed one of the earliest branches of Watsons, "Watsons Grand Pharmacy", carrying deep memories of the brand in the Chinese market. The pop-up store was inspired by the history of the pharmacy and combined the architectural style of Lingnan, classic Hong Kong style, and modern elements. It transformed Watsons' century-spanning development process into an immersive interactive space. Entering it feels like stepping into a time-lapse corridor: the white marble relief facade and the arched colored glass window frames complement each other, the red and white patterned tiles reveal the warm essence of the old times, and the dark brown carved medicine cabinets are quietly displayed. The meticulously recreated advertisements of the Republic era style, aged handwritten signs, and traditional-style plaques tell the story of Watsons' connection with the history of China.
Honor the classics. Over 40 exclusive new products are launched for the first time.
As an important "bridge" connecting brands with customers, the development trajectory of Watsons has always been deeply intertwined with the changes in public consumption demands: starting from initially providing medical health products, beverages and distilled water, and then gradually introducing personal care and trendy cosmetics, Watsons has already integrated into the daily lives of the neighborhood. And countless customers' initial experiences of health and beauty began at Watsons stores and the warm services provided by professional health and beauty consultants, making Watsons the preferred choice for many international trendy products, high-quality domestic goods, and new launches of "Guangdong products".
In the pop-up store, a variety of healthy and beautiful products were all showcased, attracting many customers to come and purchase the essential New Year goods for visiting relatives and going out. Watsons also collaborated with a number of suppliers to exclusively launch over 40 limited edition retro products for the pop-up store. Among them, there are many classic health and beauty care products that have accompanied generations of people's growth, connecting intergenerational emotional memories: whether it is the body lotion hailed as "a must-have for families", or the first generation of domestic products cream that led the trend... Watsons has always worked closely with suppliers to provide a wide range of products, meeting customers' pursuit of quality life. These products are not just consumption symbols, but also memory symbols that connect time and carry shared emotions.
Apart from health and beautiful things, this connection and companionship across time has also transformed into memories on the tongue, flowing in the flavors of daily life. From the once-popular "Dutch Water" and "Cream Water" (former names of soda) at Watsons across the country, to the Watsons Distilled Water that has now become a household item, Watsons has always safeguarded every bit of health and enjoyment with high-quality products. Especially for many people born in the 1980s and 1990s from Guangdong Province, Watsons Seltzer Water is not only a thirst-quenching drink, but also accompanies every meal, every summer, becoming a familiar and intimate taste symbol in the memories of growing up. At the pop-up store, a retro version of Watsons Seltzer Water was specially launched, integrating elements of the Republic of China advertisements and retro packaging visuals, allowing customers in the store to experience the same flavor from a hundred years ago and appreciate the refreshing and energetic atmosphere of the past.
Meanwhile, the pop-up store also offers a variety of interactive experiences to guide customers on a journey through the Guangfu style of the Spring Festival. Customers can use the AI newspaper scanner in the store to generate unique headlines full of fun, reliving the newspaper-reading memories from a hundred years ago on the streets; they can also draw a lucky sign for the New Year to get a wish for good luck; or experience changing their hair color with one click to find their own special "good luck sign" for the Spring Festival.
Continuous investment, onward progress
Adhering to the retail philosophy of "customer-centered", Watsons has focused on the high-quality development of its stores in recent years, continuously investing in the differentiation of stores and the innovation of offline experiences. This year, Watsons plans to renovate 1,500 high-quality stores and continue to expand the product range of health and beauty, making each visit to the store a warm and surprising journey for customers.
The development history of Watsons is not only a history of retail evolution, but also a journey of working together with customers, business partners and the community, growing together. The launch of Watsons' retro-themed pop-up store marked the debut of a limited space in Guangzhou during the Spring Festival, which combined the festive atmosphere, brand culture participation and social attributes. In the future, Watsons will continue to firmly invest in the Chinese market, constantly innovate and write the next century-long chapter of "Health and Beauty".
