LaserLove Plans to Enter the Uzbekistan Market

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — LaserLove, a Russia-based federal network of laser hair removal clinics founded in Novosibirsk, is preparing to enter the Uzbekistan market and is seeking financial partners to develop its business. The reports were published by Kontinent Sibir and Pravda.Ru, citing network founder Alexander Dolgov.

According to the entrepreneur, the decision to expand internationally is driven by a desire to diversify the business and reduce its dependence on the Russian economy. Before selecting a country, the company conducted a preliminary analysis of potential markets, studied competitors and consulted representatives of the relevant industries.

Uzbekistan, according to Dolgov, emerged as one of the most promising destinations. Among the country’s advantages, he cited its population size, growing middle class, lower personnel costs compared with Russia, the small number of major established players and relatively low competition.

According to the company’s own data, the LaserLove network has 190 locations in Russia and an annual turnover of 1.4 billion Russian roubles.

The business was founded by Novosibirsk entrepreneur Alexander Dolgov, who is also involved in developing several federal chains in the food service sector and other business projects.

At the same time, the entrepreneur noted several characteristics of the Uzbek market that need to be taken into account when entering the country. In particular, based on his observations, rental costs in the most attractive locations in Tashkent may be comparable to those in Moscow.

He also advised entrepreneurs to calculate business economics from the outset while taking VAT and the full cost structure into account, rather than relying solely on preferential tax regimes.

Among other market characteristics, Dolgov highlighted the significant volume of cash transactions and lower personnel costs compared with Russia.

At the same time, he said service prices are comparable to those in Russian regions, customer acquisition costs are lower, and the market lacks strong specialized studios.

The first stage of LaserLove’s development in Uzbekistan will involve opening company-owned clinics. The company plans to test the business economics, adapt its marketing strategy and operating standards, assess personnel, establish a legal structure and study actual customer booking, attendance and repeat-visit figures.

The network then plans to move to a franchise model. Dolgov named Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Namangan, Andijan and Ferghana as potential cities for opening clinics.

The company’s plan for the next year calls for opening at least 20 company-owned clinics and at least 50 franchise locations in Uzbekistan.

According to Dolgov, the country is being considered not simply as a new market but as one of LaserLove’s key international expansion destinations.

The entrepreneur named Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as the network’s next potential expansion markets.