TheIndustry.beauty Awards Winners' Interview: Sarah Boyd, Managing Director UK, Sephora

In this series, TheIndustry.beauty further celebrates the successes of winning beauty businesses from TheIndustry.beauty Awards 2024 through dedicated interviews.

As the Awards is dedicated to The Innovators of the industry, we were keen to learn from their future-facing successes. From our 13 winners, we find out everything from the importance of innovation to the one beauty product they can’t live without.

Sephora, which returned to the UK market in 2022, won the Physical Retail award. TheIndustry.beauty hears from its UK Managing Director, Sarah Boyd.

Sephora UK has a strong presence online, but how does the brand plan to expand its physical retail footprint in the UK? What role do physical stores play in your overall strategy?

We are still very early in our expansion journey, so for now we are focusing on the 20 ‘temples of beauty’ across the United Kingdom that we are aiming to have open by the end of 2026.  We of course have to ensure that each and every location is perfect, so the stars have to align timing wise, but we are very much on track thus far.  Beyond that we are looking at a couple of different (and disruptive) options format wise, so watch this space!

The most critical thing is that we find the best way to connect with our customers in the way they want us to.  We already can feel the love from our clients in the UK and a lot of it is due to the immersive nature of our store format. Our stores provide a safe, inclusive, enjoyable space of discovery for beauty lovers, and our focus on making each store relevant for the local community has been enormously well received by our local consumers.

How does Sephora UK differentiate its in-store experience to cater to the British consumer? What unique elements can customers expect when they visit a Sephora store in the UK?

Sephora is committed to creating an immersive, interactive beauty playground propelled by the understanding that beauty is a sensory experience rooted in discovery, and our store format really champions that.

The UK historically has been driven by department store counter culture and drugstore retail, but Sephora fills the gap in between by fusing deep expertise and knowledge delivered by our cast members while enabling an environment that allows for people to test, discover and experiment from an extensive yet curated range of brands in store. One of our unique offerings is our in-store services, which are carried out by our talented in-house experts, allowing customers to learn some beauty insider tips and tricks through facials, skincare treatments, makeovers, brow services and more.

Our beauty advisors really make the magic happen in our stores, helping to guide customers with their extensive knowledge of products, makeup techniques and trends. They are also fantastic at taking preferences from customers and providing the best advice for them, regardless of brand. Our stores are meant to serve as community spaces, and our beauty advisors are often regarded by local customers as regular friendly faces that they get to know and build a relationship with.

How does Sephora UK curate its product offerings to reflect the unique beauty preferences and trends in the UK market? Are there any specific brands or products that have been particularly popular?

At Sephora we have a unique global opportunity to learn from our talented merchants in all of the countries where we operate.  New and hot trends and brands that emerge in one country can quickly be communicated to others. When upcoming brands start to gain a following in the UK, we move as quickly as possible to bring them to the UK and answer the demand.

With social media really globalising the world of beauty, we are seeing hot brands seed quickly and spread fast.  One market that has had huge relevancy in the UK is the US – typically, the brands we partner with are beloved in the US.  Because of language and media coverage, influencers and celebrities in the US are very relevant in the UK market, which is why we believe there is a synergy in both directions.  US brands can be relevant and take hold quickly here, and vice versa.

Sephora Collection, our owned brand, remains a top 3 brand in our stores. With its ultra high-performance quality at an accessible price point, it allows nearly everyone to take home a piece of Sephora with them. As trends in the UK are so hyperlocalised, the popularity really changes store to store. Our exclusive brands, understandably, are often very strong performers.

Sephora is known for exclusive brand partnerships. How does Sephora UK choose which brands to partner with, and what factors are most important in these decisions?

Consumer demand is first and foremost what we look for, and as mentioned previously we follow trends from across the globe closely to pre-empt demand that we know will be coming.  We also love working with brands and brand founders that mirror our obsessions with diversity and inclusivity as well as product quality and efficacy.

The UK beauty market is highly competitive. How does Sephora UK position itself against other established beauty retailers in the region?

We are focussed on our consumers and creating the best possible beauty environment for them both on and off line.  To do that most effectively, we are obsessed with creating a healthy internal environment for our teams in stores and in our support centres, they are the ones that ensure consumers are always put first.

When we opened our first store in Westfield White City in 2023, it was clear immediately that we needed to hit the key cities across the UK as quickly as possible.  Social was, and still is to this day awash with people asking/begging us to open stores in their cities.  Given that, and the highly regionalised nature of the beauty market in the UK, we have tried to ensure that we listen to and speak to local communities in the cities where we open stores.  We may be a large global retailer, but it was critical for us to ensure that we found meaningful ways to connect and honour our customers who hold immense pride for their region.

This approach is really driven by our commitment to community building. With each individual store opening, we connect with local leaders and opinion leaders to see what from the local area is important to them - whether it’s culture, identity, sports – and take these learnings to enhance our in-store experience for their respective communities.  We follow the same principles with recruitment, favoring a heavily local recruitment policy for our store cast members, whilst also peppering stores with some of our team from existing stores that are looking for an opportunity to grow and develop.

Finally, our range of Sephora exclusive brands - which continues to grow - is a huge perk for customers and our community, knowing that we carry brands that they can’t try or purchase elsewhere. This exclusivity helps to make our audience feel like the true beauty insiders.

Sephora’s Beauty Insider program is well-known globally. How does the loyalty program in the UK differ, and what specific benefits are tailored for British customers?

‘MySephora’ in the UK , which we launched last summer, takes inspiration from the successes of the Beauty Insider program. The earning system will offer rewarding experiences and exclusive benefits via a three tiered programme across gold, silver and bronze which will be accessible via desktop, mobile and the Sephora UK app.

Customers enrolled in the loyalty program can exchange their accumulated points for products from a curated selection of best-selling brands including Sol De Janeiro, Elemis, Fenty, Gisou and our very own Sephora Collection. This feature gives customers access to the most popular and high-quality products on the market, offering a wide range of choices from beloved brands. MySephora perks also include deluxe birthday gifts, an upgraded delivery proposition and early access to brand events and sales. In particular, Gold members are treated to deluxe rewards, free next day delivery and exclusive early access to the MySephora Sales.

For customers who want to donate their points to charity, Sephora is working closely with social justice charity Face Equality International, an organisation that promotes the face equality movement and working to end discrimination experienced by the facial difference community. They’ve been a wonderful charity partner that is aligned with Sephora’s dedication to fostering a sense of inclusivity and self-expression, and we wanted to ensure that our customers had a way to engage with them that drives impact.

What can customers expect from Sephora UK in the coming years in terms of new store openings, product launches, or initiatives?

Sephora will continue to be delivering a curated collection of exciting brands to the UK across all categories as we continue to open more stores and strengthen our omnichannel presence in the market. Our brick and mortar stores will also continue to have a hyperlocal focus and service the cities we show up in, harnessing our purpose pillars that service the LGBTQ+ community though Classes for Confidence and disability by ensuring our stores are totally accessible for both customers and staff.

What was the significance of winning the Physical Retail award?

This is a huge honour for us, and we are tremendously grateful.  It is very early days for us, but the response from consumers, brands, and the industry generally has been very positive and encouraging.  There is a lot still to do, but winning the Physical Retail Award is a testament to the fact that the team are bringing a refreshed, exciting retail experience to our customers. Over the past few years we have seen a real shift in the highstreet, and a move towards exciting, sensory and above all - personal - shopping experience and I think the award signifies that we are at the forefront of this.  A huge thank you to all the members of the Sephora UK team who have worked so passionately to get us this far – here's to the next chapter!

TheIndustry.beauty The Innovators Awards, staged in proud partnership with Bleckmann, will be back for 2025. Find out more at the industry.beauty/awards. For sponsorship enquiries for 2025's awards, please email partnerships@theindustry.beauty.