Sephora announces London debut store location
Sephora is set to make its return to the UK in March 2023 at Westfield London shopping centre.
The beauty retailer today confirmed the new 6,000+ sq. ft store, which is set to showcase an exceptional assortment of products and personal services.
The store’s façade will be wrapped in Sephora's iconic black and white stripes, whilst the interior will offer soft geometric shapes, ambient lighting, textured finishes, and succulent greenery to create a warm and inviting atmosphere.
The heart of the store will be defined by a combination of human touch and technology, where a Grand Beauty Hub will provide "memorable experiences" for customers as they explore makeup, skincare, haircare, fragrance, body and personalised gifting.
The store will offer a variety of brands exclusive to Sephora UK, including Tarte Cosmetics, ILIA, Makeup by Mario, ONE/SIZE by Patrick Starrr, GXVE by Gwen Stefani, Skinfix, Vegamour, and Sephora’s own Sephora Collection.
Alongside this coveted selection will be an expansive assortment of selective brands, including Fenty Beauty, Drunk Elephant, ILIA, MILK Makeup, JVN, Gisou, Dior, Tom Ford, and Jo Malone.
Sylvie Moreau, President of Europe, Middle East at Sephora, said: “Sephora has transformed the beauty experience of customers all over the world and we are delighted to bring our inspirational in-store environment to London, which has some of the most demanding beauty fans in the world. We know that London’s youthful and inventive vibe is one of the best places on in the world for us to introduce some of the innovations that will make the Sephora experience even more extraordinary in the future.”
Sarah Boyd, Managing Director of Sephora UK, commented: “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.”
Westfield London (White City) in Shepherd's Bush
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 offer 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!”
Sephora originally entered the UK market in 2000 with its first store located in Bluewater in Kent. It went on to open nine further stores in the UK but exited in 2005. Reports at the time suggested a combination of high rents and tough competition from home-grown retailers such as Boots contributed to the decision.
Last year it revealed it would be returning to the UK retail scene having acquired online retailer Feelunique in 2021, which was rebranded to Sephora.
