Sephora announces Manchester store

Published 14th Dec 2023 by Ellen Cummings

Iconic beauty retailer Sephora's first UK location outside of London is set to open next year, offering a new shopping experience for Northern beauty enthusiasts

Sephora has announced that it is opening it's third UK store in Manchester's Trafford Centre in summer 2024.

Following analysis of its social media platforms, the retailer revealed that Manchester was the city most demanded by beauty consumers – with hoarding outside the store's construction set to read "Manchester, you called it".

Sephora UK's managing director, Sarah Boyd, said, "We are extremely excited to bring Sephora to Manchester, one of the most vibrant cities for beauty in the UK.

"Expanding our presence beyond London is something that consumers have been screaming out for, and we are listening hard to them when deciding where to go next!

"The Trafford Centre, known for its iconic atmosphere and diverse retail offering, is the perfect location for our third store."

Where is Sephora in the UK?

Sephora currently has two locations in London – Westfield Stratford City and Westfield White City – which it opened earlier in 2023.

The second store opened its doors on November 15, 2023, with the first lucky 500 customers gifted a deluxe gift bag.

The store's opening kicked off with an exclusive launch event held on November 14, where guests were invited to experience the beauty playground first-hand ahead of the store officially opening its doors to the public. 

Paying homage to East London, Sephora started the celebrations with a dedicated live performance from local East London choir, House Gospel Choir.

Continuing the entertainment, musical performances continued throughout the evening from London based grime artist Roxxxan and DJ Fancy Shews.

In addition to the new Stratford store, Sephora already has one store at the Westfield London shopping centre in White City, which opened in March 2023.

The White City store features over 135 brands - with some physically retailing in the UK for the first time, including Tarte Cosmetics, Glow Recipe, Supergoop!, Danessa Myricks and Kosas.

Sephora also retails a range of professional spa and beauty brands, including Medik8, Dermalogica, Elemis, Murad, Caudalie and Thalgo.

The heart of the White City store features a Grand Beauty Hub where customers can explore make-up, skincare, haircare, fragrance, body and personalised gifting.

Commenting on the second store's launch, Boyd said, “We are so grateful for the welcome we have received from our fans in the UK. Their response to our White City opening blew us away and far exceeded our expectations.

"We are committed to giving the UK a unique Sephora experience, one tailored to the unique cultural needs of this wonderful country. We hope the community in Stratford love the store as much as those in West London and look forward to a day of treats and surprises at our opening.”

Sylvie Moreau, president Europe, Middle East at Sephora, added, "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 in the world for us to introduce some of the innovations that will make the Sephora experience even more extraordinary in the future."

Sephora's relaunch into the UK started in October 2022 when the Feelunique website, which Sephora acquired, became sephora.co.uk.

The new website, twinned with the Sephora App, offers UK consumers a way to buy Sephora’s selection of products, which includes some professional brands of make-up, skincare and wellness products, as well as retail-only brands. 

Alongside this are premium beauty brands, including Pat McGrath Labs, Fenty Beauty, Gisou, Rose Inc, JVN and more.  

Chris de Lapuente, chairman and chief executive of Sephora, said, “We are delighted to bring Sephora to the UK, responding to Britain’s strong demand for our unique prestige beauty experience.

“UK customers will be encouraged to explore and discover the best versions of themselves as we support them in their beauty journey with a fantastic curation of time-tested classics and new indie brands.

“We will offer British consumers a pioneering selection of beauty that is best in class for innovation, diversity and inclusion. The UK is home to a dynamic beauty and wellbeing market that Sephora will aim to surprise and delight through our trademark know how and creativity. Our passionate team cannot wait to serve and inspire UK customers under the Sephora brand.”

What locations do you think Sephora should open next? Let us know in the comments...

Ellen Cummings

Ellen Cummings

Published 14th Dec 2023

Ellen Cummings is the senior content writer at Professional Beauty, working across the magazine and online. Contact her at [email protected]

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