Sephora opens Shanghai flagship
Cosmetics chain Sephora has opened a beauty mega-boutique in Shanghai featuring 7,000 products over five floors.
Sephora's largest flagship store in China, in the country's economic capital, it is located in one of Shanghai's liveliest spots at the junction of Nanjing West Road and Maoming Road. The new store is set to be a major draw for the megacity's growing legions of beauty fans.
Chris de Lapuente, Sephora's CEO, was excited about the launch: "We are proud to be opening this new store in Shanghai. It reflects the success of the brand among Chinese customers, who expect the highest standards of quality and service. This new store is representative of a strategy that has enabled us to become leaders in China".
Sephora has been present in China since 2005 and has expanded to 133 locations in 47 towns and cities in the country. This latest store is the largest in the country with 1,500 m² of shopping space, featuring 118 different brands, of which 17 are Asian (and three of these are Chinese).
The store's design "respects the heritage of the brand, (and) embodies a rich and unique shopping experience in China," added de Lapuente. Chinese cosmetics are skincare driven, and the first two floors of the new store are devoted to cosmetics, haircare, skincare and fragrance. The third floor features a Sephora academy, which aims to train up a team of 'beauty experts' to be deployed in-store.
Founded in Paris, France, in 1970, Sephora is now owed by luxury giant LVMH. It has grown into a global beauty brand with nearly 900 stores in Europe (including Russia), 700 in the North and South Americas, 144 in Asia, and 24 in the Middle East.
