Sephora's UK comeback performs ‘300% better than expected’
Sephora’s highly anticipated London opening is outperforming expectations by 300%, according to CEO Christopher de Lapuente.
The cosmetic and beauty chain opened the doors to its glossy new location as White City’s Westfield shopping centre on 8 March. By 11am, a seven-hour queue of 5,000 people formed outside the flagship store.
The retailer’s parent LVMH’s Selective Retailing divisional boss Christopher de Lapuente told an audience at the World Retail Congress in Barcelona, that Sephora London is performing "300% better than we expected within the first eight weeks" in terms of sales, adding that "we’re off to a fabulous start".
"They didn’t come to buy lipstick at half price. They came to discover Sephora, the products, the assortment, which is part of the magic."
Earlier this month, LVMH reported revenue growth of 17% to £18.4 billion (€21 billion) for the first quarter of FY23, with an "exceptional performance" from Sephora boosting overall sales.
Sephora’s last brick-and-mortar retail adventure ended in 2005, with its store closing at Bluewater shopping centre in Kent. The brand later returned to Britain following a takeover of Feelunique's business, which it rebranded as Sephora in 2022.
Lapuente said that beauty fanatics in London had, "discovered Sephora at some stage in the US or France", adding, "I think people love the brand. We’ve worked hard at building the Sephora brand, building a community."
