Condé Nast announced it will open an experimental retail concept by Allure on New York City’s Lafayette Street later this year through a licensing partnership with STÔUR Group. The store will offer shoppers a 360-degree immersive retail experience, and an assortment of beauty products curated through the lens of Allure’s authoritative and trusted editorial voice.
The publisher said the brand, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, has experienced a 20% year-over-year increase in traffic and a 25% year-over-year increase in time spent, reflecting consumer reliance on the insights and product recommendations from beauty experts they trust. The store will bring a physical touchpoint for Allure‘s audience of over 25 million readers and the beauty industry at large.
“The Allure audience has shown that it’s intensely loyal and trusts our expertise—something we are so grateful for. We’re thrilled that the Allure Store provides us with the opportunity to really connect with them, and to truly bring the brand to life,” said Michelle Lee, Allure’s Editor in Chief. “This space will allow us to introduce our brand to new beauty enthusiasts and expand the Allure family.”
The 2,900-square-foot Lafayette Street store will be set over two floors and will feature around 300 makeup, haircare, and skincare products at any given time, curated by staffers at Allure. Real editorial headlines will guide visitors through the space, and augmented-reality capabilities as well as smart mirrors will allow customers to try on products. The store will be a hub for content creation and community, and Allure’s editorial team will regularly host in-store events, tutorials, and master classes.
“We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Allure Store, designed to bring the brand to life with a unique and immersive shopping environment where customers can shop by Allure’s globally respected headlines for a truly seamless experience,” said Markus Grindel, Managing Director, Global Brand Licensing Condé Nast. “The store marks an expansion of our direct-to-consumer experiences across the globe, and we hope that this news excites those looking ahead to when in-store shopping resumes.”
In the US, Allure‘s readers spend $5 billion annually on beauty, and the Allure Best of Beauty seal generates $82 million in revenue for the brands that receive the award each year. The Allure Beauty Box, a handpicked selection of editor-approved beauty products that launched in 2012, has been a success with readers, with revenue up 20 percent YoY.
The STÔUR Group, which specializes in bringing online destinations offline into physical retail, will manage operations, saying “Every inch of the store has been carefully designed to show off the world’s best beauty products and encourage consumers to browse, discover, and purchase.”
