Justine opens first retail store in Polokwane

POLOKWANE – The first-ever Justine store opened its doors at the Mall of the North on Wednesday.

The consultant-owned retail store launched following the company’s plans to put beauty entrepreneurs in good stead to benefit economically from the growth of the industry in Africa.

Justine consultant and beauty entrepreneur, Keku Legodi became the first owner of a store that will sell Justine products directly to the public.

Legodi has been a beauty entrepreneur since 2011 and has seen her direct selling business grow in leaps and bounds over the years.

She told the Polokwane Review-Observer that she is humbled and excited and that years of hard work and dedication to her passion for beauty have culminated in this historic moment.

“It’s heartwarming to experience Justine’s commitment to creating a better future for women by creating opportunities like this for ordinary, hard-working women like myself to be significant players in the beauty industry,” said Legodi.

Avon’s managing director for Turkey, Middle East, and Africa (TMEA), Mafahle Mareletse, said Legodi showed interest in the idea and said she needs a shop in Mall of the North.

“We are offering this opportunity to all our consultants and representatives. Keku was the first out of the box and that’s why we decided to come to Polokwane to open her retail kiosk store. It is not a model we dictate, we work together with the consultants and they make a call to say where they want to be and we support them. We are lucky that she chose Mall of the North, which is a prestigious mall, and one of the prestigious malls in the country which serves the middle-income class, which is good for us because we are trying to get new customers,” Mareletse said.

The kiosk exposes the brand to more people and will offer a full line of Justine products.

“There are no other stores in the Mall of the North that stock Justine products which makes this kiosk exclusive,” Mareletse said.

He added that Justine will continue to empower women and create opportunities for them to empower themselves.

“Our customers have often told us that they are unable to touch, feel or smell the Justine products and this kiosk gives them the opportunity to interact with our products.”

Customers are still able to buy their Justine products from consultants, but Mareletse said the new retail channel will allow a supplementary revenue stream to enable beauty entrepreneurs to maximize optimally customer reach, accessibility, and increased earning opportunities.

The Director for corporate communications TMEA, Bridget Bhengu, said Polokwane is one of Justine’s key strategic markets that has experienced exponential growth.

“Polokwane is also the economic hub of the Limpopo province which means more people from surrounding areas will be able to access their favorite Justine products with ease at the mall. The new presence will mean convenience and instant access to Justine products which otherwise would need to be ordered through a consultant. Customers will also be able to sample our products through scent, smell, and touch, and get beauty advice from our beauty entrepreneurs on the latest products and specials for the month,” said Bhengu.

Legodi’s Justine Store will operate daily in line with Mall of the North’s operating hours.