Sephora confirms UK store will open in Westfield London

Beauty retailer Sephora, which last year returned to the UK market with a dedicated e-commerce site, has confirmed that it will be opening a brick-and-mortar store in Westfield London this March.

In a statement, Sephora said that the 6,000-plus square foot store, will showcase “an exceptional assortment of products and personal services” in a space that features inspiring innovations drawn from the global retailer’s unique network.

Sephora, part of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, added that the store has been designed to “surprise and delight customers”. It will include more than 135 brands, some of which are exclusive to Sephora UK such as Makeup by Mario, Gxve by Gwen Stefani, One/Size by Patrick Starrr, Vegamour, Skinfix, Commodity and its own Sephora Collection.

In addition, the space will debut several brands in physical retail for the first time in the UK, including Tarte, Glow Recipe, Supergoop!, Danessa Myricks and Kosas. Other brands include Fenty Beauty, Drunk Elephant, Ilia, Milk Makeup, Jvn, Gisou, Dior, Tom Ford and Jo Malone.

Sephora UK to open brick-and-mortar London store in March

Sarah Boyd, managing director of Sephora UK, said: “We are very excited to open our first store in London, which is something we know our beauty community has been waiting for many years. After the very successful launch of sephora.co.uk and our app last autumn, we have been inundated with questions about our plans to open stores.

“As the creator of multi-category, multi-experience prestige beauty retailing, we are thrilled to bring London a store that aspires to meet the needs of every beauty occasion. Our passionate hand-picked cast members will welcome all customers to a welcoming, vibrant, diverse, and inclusive environment where all their imagination can roam free as they all discover their own personal extraordinary forms of beauty.”

The store’s façade will be wrapped in Sephora’s iconic black and white stripes, while the interior, the first of its kind in the world, will offer soft geometric shapes, ambient lighting, textured finishes, and succulent greenery “to create a warm and inviting atmosphere”.

Other features of the store will include a ‘Grand Beauty Hub’ that will provide memorable experiences for customers as they explore make-up, skincare, haircare, fragrance, body and personalised gifting, as well as self-checkouts.

Katie Wyle, general manager at Westfield London, added: “Sephora is one of the most requested stores by Westfield London customers and I am delighted they have chosen our destination to open their first physical store in the UK.

“The launch of their store marks the growth of our beauty offering and will be a landmark moment for beauty fans where they can discover Sephora’s compelling brand mix combined with a high energy, digitally enhanced in-store experience. We’re now on the countdown to what will be an extraordinary opening day.”