Breaking news: Sephora, the holy grail of beauty retail, the beauty stans’ paradise, home to cult skincare and of every lipstick shade you can dream of, has announced the opening date of its first IRL store in the UK.
After a successful online-only run in the UK over the past few months, the world’s largest beauty destination is landing in Westfield White City shopping centre in West London, with the grand opening taking place on Wednesday, 8th March, 2023. Non-Londoners fear not, there are more stores planned nationwide.
Tellingly, Sephora has recognised the equal importance of both e-commerce and retail in delivering its playground of beauty fun online and IRL, and is now bringing hundreds of beauty brands and services all together under the one roof in the UK.
It is music to the ears of the 165 million and counting global loyalty members who had rumours swirling back in October 2022 about a physical store. But we had the exclusive lowdown and shared the official news right here.
All the Sephora-exclusive buys you should be eyeing.
Sephora's first physical store promises to house over 135 brands on its beauty shelves to satisfy every beauty enthusiasts' cravings. And talking of brands, much like its e-store, here’s where we're getting giddy. The 6000+ square ft store is set to showcase an epic assortment of products and personal services — confirmed as the UK launches include Makeup By Mario, the man behind many of Kim K's iconic looks; Gwen Stefani’s GXVE range, Patrick Starr’s One/Size, alongside Sephora exclusives including — viral favourites Tarte Cosmetics, Vegamour, Ilia and their affordable but brilliant own brand Sephora Collection. Plus there will be many familiar faces such as Fenty, Glow Recipe, Pat McGrath Labs, Rose Inc and JVN haircare to name just a few.
The store’s façade will be wrapped in the Sephora iconic black and white stripes (get ready to have your Instagram feed dominated by them), while for the interior, expect more soft geometric shapes, ambient lighting, textured finishes, and succulent greenery like you've never seen before. We are being promised the shopping experience of dreams.
At the heart of the store expect an attentive combination of human touch and technology, where a monumental Grand Beauty Hub will provide memorable experiences for customers as they explore makeup, skincare, haircare, fragrance, body as well as personalised gifting. With all the product in store easily accessible, you will also have access to self-checkout and a Sephora-Rewards program.
Sephora is a brand with over 50 years heritage, first launched as a store in Limoges in 1969, so it's fair to say it has been a long wait for beauty fans on this side of the Channel. There was a brief appearance on UK shores back in the 00's, before it dramatically disappeared into the abyss never to be seen again… or so we thought.
Luckily, we’re now being treated to a future iteration of Sephora, reveals Sylvie Moreau, the brand's President in Europe and Middle East. “It’s Sephora 4.0, tailored to the UK market. We feel makeup is underserved here in the UK, so there will be a focus on makeup as well as skincare.” She also reveals stores will have a new look on the lighter, brighter side of the Sephora infamous black and white branding, to create a makeup friendly environment.
We know because we've tried it.
There will also be plenty to delight Gen-Z consumers she promises. “We design with Gen-Z in mind as we see them as our future and we believe the influencing ladder has changed upside down over the last few years. This younger generation are extremely knowledgeable and they now influence their mothers and those around them. It's a big voice.”
Also on show will be what Moreau describes as the “Sephora super powers”. From the unique curation of exclusive brands across skincare, haircare, fragrance and makeup, which you won’t find anywhere else. To the dedicated teams made up of passionate beauty lovers', who are empowered to give truly impartial advice. Staff incentives are team based rather designed to reward by brand or individuals, so they are free to guide you to the expert who can best answer your beauty needs.
“It's a celebration of beauty everyday and yes we’re loud and proud of beauty as a category. We want to create a world where everyone has the opportunity to express, define and unleash their own extraordinary beauty," says Moreau. “We believe beauty is a culture, a language that goes way beyond putting a lipstick on, but a transformative power that empowers people to express their personality and values.” We literally couldn't have said it better ourselves!
With such momentous news, the face of beauty in the UK is set to change for good, and with less than 24 hours to wait, be prepared to be Sephora-ised IRL! We'll see you there.
For more from GLAMOUR's European Beauty Director follow her at @camilla.kay
