Overview
KICKS is one of the leading beauty retail chains in the Nordics, selling make-up, skincare, fragrance and haircare in stores across Sweden, Norway and Finland and online at kicks.se. Since 2023 it has been part of Matas Group, the Danish beauty and health retailer. For a beauty brand that wants a strong retail partner in the Nordics, KICKS is one of the first doors to knock on.
Who is behind KICKS
KICKS was founded in Sweden in 1991 and was owned by the Swedish family company Axel Johnson from 2002. In 2022 KICKS and the online skincare retailer Skincity were combined into KICKS Group, which had sales of SEK 4.5 billion that year, close to a third of it online, and about 230 physical stores. In 2023 Matas, Denmark's leading beauty retailer, bought KICKS Group for SEK 1.1 billion. With KICKS, Matas Group has around 11% of the Nordic beauty and health market.
What the shopper sees
KICKS combines international beauty brands, Nordic brands and its own brand, KICKS Beauty, in stores and online. It keeps adding brands that are new to the Nordics, such as Charlotte Tilbury, which launched online at KICKS in September 2025 and in stores from October 2025, and the skincare brand Bubble, launched exclusively in the Nordics. KICKS has also added a wellness category.
How brands can work with KICKS
KICKS is a retailer, not an open marketplace. It buys the brands it carries and sells them in its stores and online shops, and as part of Matas Group it can offer international brands a local partner for launching and growing in the Nordics. A brand approaching KICKS should be ready with:
- A brand story and positioning that fits KICKS' mix of trend-led and established beauty brands.
- EU cosmetics compliance, including CPNP notification and correct labelling.
- Nordic-language product content and packaging for Sweden, Norway and Finland.
- Marketing and in-store support to drive launches across stores and online.
- Reliable supply to a store network and e-commerce at the same time.
Why KICKS matters for brands
KICKS gives a beauty brand both store visibility and online reach across three Nordic countries, backed by the largest beauty retail group in the Nordics. A launch at KICKS can be the starting point for the whole region.
How eBrands looks at KICKS
eBrands works with brands on marketplaces and retail channels across Europe and North America, and with our home base in Helsinki we follow Nordic beauty retail closely. If you want to see how KICKS could sit alongside the channels you already use, we are happy to talk it through.
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