M&S teams up with makeup giant Sephora to launch across 100 stores in major beauty push
Marks and Spencer is bringing global makeup giant Sephora to 100 of its stores across Britain as it targets younger customers and takes on rivals such as Boots.
The retailers have struck a partnership that will see ‘Sephora in M&S’ launch across selected M&S high street and retail park stores from next spring.
The tie-up with Sephora is the first time M&S has opened a ‘shop-in-shop,’ having previously only stocked third-party brands such as Jaeger and Nobody’s Child.
Customers will be able to buy a mix of established and emerging beauty brands and exclusive products across skincare, makeup and fragrance in store and online.
The move comes as M&S continues to overhaul its fashion, beauty and home brands.
The retailer, which has won praise for a revamp of its clothing range, indicated an expansion into beauty at the opening of its refreshed Oxford Street store over the summer.
Sephora comes to M&S: The retailers will launch a ‘shop in shop’ across 100 stores next spring
John Lyttle, managing director, fashion, home & beauty at M&S, said: ‘Beauty is an important category for M&S, with the potential to attract new customers to shop with us and give existing customers the opportunity to shop with us more often.
‘Our partnership with Sephora will sit at the heart of our future beauty offer, combining Sephora’s specialist expertise with the strength of the M&S brand, our store estate and our growing digital platform.
‘Alongside this, we will continue investing in our own-label beauty categories where we have established strength and customer trust.’
Sephora, which is owned by French giant LVMH, has huge reach on social media sites including TikTok and Instagram.
It stocks brands including Hailey Bieber’s Rhode as well as Fenty, Chanel, Dior, Mac, and Bobi Brown alongside its own ranges.
Its partnership will expand M&S’s beauty range, which includes a popular own-brand perfume range alongside brands such as Clinique, Medicube and Korean skincare favourites.
It marks the first concerted push into the beauty market, worth £5.2billion in the UK and of which M&S holds a 1.3 per cent share.
Sarah Boyd, managing director of Seophora UK said: ‘Together, we can re-define what high street beauty means for customers across the UK, bringing the very best curated brand and beauty experience to the M&S stores to complement their food, fashion and home expertise.
‘We are excited to introduce our incredible beauty advisors to the stores to provide a truly personalised experience, and to reach customers in more communities where they already live, shop and spend their time.’
Last summer, hundreds of shoppers rushed to the opening of a Sephora at the Arndale Shopping Centre in Manchester, with one couple sleeping overnight to be the first to experience the new beauty store.
Sephora’s shop opening in the Bullring in Birmingham was equally popular, with shoppers standing outside waiting in the cold for hours before the store opened.
M&S is linking with Sephora to take on John Lewis which has expanded the amount of space in its stores devoted to beauty.
M&S, which currently has a tiny slice of the beauty business, also seems to be signalling a readiness to compete with Boots, which is the leading retailer in the secto, having made a comeback in the past two years.
Sephora should appeal to more mature M&S customers, but also to their daughters who now see the brand on TikTok shop which is an increasingly powerful player in beauty.
Alexandra Jackson, manager of Rathbone UK Opportunities fund, said: ‘I like the look of this deal, not because it will drive massive earnings increases but because it is another example of M&S leveraging its national footprint and trusted brand to punch above its weight. Sephora brings credibility and prestige to M&S’s beauty offering, with strong appeal to Gen Z customers. ‘
She added: ‘Having Sephora in 100 stores should make M&S a more frequent shopping destination, helping accelerate the transformation of fashion, home and beauty. For investors, the deal represents a low-risk way to acquire share of a business with structurally higher margins. Customers make repeat purchases and the rate of returns is lower. ‘
Why is M&S partnering with Sephora?
Beauty giant Sephora is a hit with shoppers across all ages, writes Anne Ashworth
Sephora’s strength lies in its glamour and its multi-generational appeal, writes Anne Ashworth, Daily Mail business columnist.
Daughters, mothers and grandmothers view a visit to the store as an experience – for which they are ready to queue if need be. A line may often form outside the vast Sephora store in Westfield White City.
There is the chance to try and buy – and see the lines that have featured on Instagram.
The mix of high-end, mid-market and own label brands is another key attraction.
The lipstick effect, in which people will treat themselves to small indulgences is a key factor in Sephora’s growth. But so too is the chain’s adaptability.
The link with M&S is not its only diversification this month. Sephora also launched on TikTok shop, on which it will sell some limited lines.
A digital storefront is now almost essential for any beauty retailer keen to catch the attention of the younger customers whose skincare routines may be as complex as those of midlife women.
AJ Bell head of financial analysis Danni Hewson said: ‘As collabs go, the tie-up between high street stalwart Marks & Spencer and Gen Z favourite Sephora is a potentially lucrative one for both parties.
‘Tempting people to step into bricks and mortar stores has got harder thanks to a mix of online shopping and social media make-up gurus who can walk people through different techniques and processes in the comfort of their own bedrooms. But there’s nothing quite like trying new products on the skin before paying for them, even if you can get generous money-back guarantees from many brands.
‘Marks & Spencer has been steadfastly putting the magic back into its business since last year’s cyber-attack and has been battling to deliver the same kind of success with its core offer as it has with its food business.
‘Attracting a new generation of customers through the doors is essential if the entire business is to stay relevant in the long term. Its tie-up with Sephora is exactly the type of strategy that’s helped rival Next dominate high streets over the past couple of years.’
DIY INVESTING PLATFORMS
AJ Bell
AJ Bell
Easy investing and ready-made portfolios
Hargreaves Lansdown
Hargreaves Lansdown
Free fund dealing and investment ideas
interactive investor
interactive investor
Flat-fee investing from £4.99 per month
Freetrade
Freetrade
Investing Isa now free on basic plan
Trading 212
Trading 212
Free share dealing and no account fee
Affiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. These deals are chosen by our editorial team, as we think they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence.
