Hold onto your makeup bags Sephora fans; the consumer cosmetics giant has announced its plan to open a second Australian store this year.
For anyone who’s lost countless hours trawling the aisles of Sephora, or at least fantasising about it, today’s news could bring with it a bit of a mixed bag of emotions.
The makeup powerhouse that created anticipation levels for its first Aussie store opening rivalling Apple’s iPhone launch has announced it will be opening its second store on Australian soil, and in line with keeping anticipation levels sky high, its promised the new store doors will be swinging open this September.
But the consumer cosmetics company’s interstate fans should prepare for some frustration, because Sephora has revealed its second store will also be opening in the Sydney area, just a 30 minute drive from its flagship in Sydney’s Pitt Street shopping district, at the Macquarie Centre in North Ryde.
Adding to the chain’s 2000 stores worldwide, North Ryde Sephora’s construction is already in full swing, with what is expected to be a ‘mega store’ set to open in just two months time.
As Sephora devotees would already be well aware, the global beauty chain, owned by LVMH, has only one other store in Australia so far, which, while music to the ears of Sydneysiders, comes bittersweet for Melbournites, who’d anticipated the second store to pop up in its iconic Chapel Street shopping area.
And while Sephora’s already polarised some makeup lovers, like cosmetics king Napoleon Perdis who publicly slammed the chain’s flagship store earlier this year, many of its fans are hungry for more of its trademark line-up of exclusive brands including Marc Jacobs Beauty, Tarte, Kat Von D and Cover Fx.
“Australia’s first Sephora store has been hugely successful and the demand for another store outside of the CBD has been high,” Sephora’s Australian country manager, Libby Amelia emphasised.
But its not all bad news for left-out interstate makeup devotees.
Sephora Australia has also confirmed plans to expand its footprint across the country, providing other states the same unique shopping experience it’s set to offer to Macquarie Centre shoppers come September.
“I can’t confirm our next move just yet, but the brand is set to grow in Australia. For a long time, Australian beauty enthusiasts have been experiencing Sephora overseas, so we want to ensure we find the right location to ensure the brand heritage and DNA is always replicated,” revealed Amelia.
“In every store around the world, Sephora customers receive the same unique shopping experience; it’s a place for discovery, sensuality, entertaining, and expertise.”
The new Macquarie Centre store will be situated on Level 2 alongside other recently-launched international retailers including Zara, H&M and Forever 21.
Have your say: Are you excited or disappointed about the location for the second Australian Sephora store?