Sephora announced the largest store expansion in its 21-year history in the US, including over 60 freestanding client-centric locations and 200 locations opening inside Kohl’s stores later this year. Following a year dominated by e-commerce, this move signals Sephora’s confidence in brick-and-mortar retail. The rollout is indicative of Sephora’s plans to become more accessible to beauty shoppers across the US, with the expansion focused on increasing the retailer’s presence in off-mall locations.

These 60+ stores will feature a sleek architectural and visual design that focuses on the classic Sephora DNA and look and feel, and new lighting enhancements for a better beauty experience.

New stand-alone Sephora locations will begin to open this month with freestanding stores planned in the Pacific Northwest, as well as in states like Florida and Texas, and cities like Dallas, Austin, Los Angeles, and Nashville. Its locations with Kohl’s include 200 locations planned to open in 29 states this fall 2021, with at least 850 doors by 2023, which will begin opening in Los Angeles, New York, New Jersey, and the Midwest this year.

The Sephora at Kohl’s store-in-store will be a prominently located, fully immersive, premium beauty destination, designed within a 2,500-square-foot space. Kohl’s shoppers will receive the signature Sephora look, feel, and experience at these locations, with a unique range of over 100 makeup, skincare, hair, and fragrance brands.

“Sephora’s omni-business, which saw record online sales in 2020, remains a priority for the retailer, as beauty is one of the most interactive retail experiences and the in-store experience specifically is a critical part of shoppers’ journeys,” Sephora said in the release.

Sephora will continue to deliver to meet clients where they are, from physical locations to online offerings:

• Sephora will begin rolling out a “Buy Online, Pick Up In Store” service, which will be available in all Sephora freestanding stores by April 2021. This comes after several months of offering a successful “Reserve Online Pickup In Store” service, which enables clients to reserve products in their local Sephora stores for up to 48 hours.
• Last year, Sephora became the first beauty retailer to enable Instagram’s Checkout feature, offering direct shopping with Sephora via the platform. Sephora was also the first beauty retailer to launch on the delivery platform Instacart, enabling same-day delivery to clients.
• The retailer is also focused on financial flexibility, including the Sephora Credit Card Program, which offers a variety of cardmember benefits, and through new partnerships like Klarna.

Sephora at Kohl’s shoppers will enjoy similar benefits courtesy of Kohl’s elevated omni-channel experience, which includes in-store pickup, free Drive-Up ordering, easy returns, and more.