Thousands of beauty fans and excited shoppers who camped overnight lined the halls at Birmingham‘s Bullring this morning, ahead of the opening of Sephora’s newest UK store.
The French cosmetics company opened its doors at one of Britain’s biggest shopping centres at 10am today.
But customers were stood outside in the freezing cold hours before – clad in warm puffer jackets and hats – desperate to get their hands on the cult brands which are not as easy to find on the High Street.
The first 500 guests were presented with a wristband to get an exclusive goodie bag packed with Sephora’s top picks like Glossier, Rare Beauty, Kayali and Glow Recipe.
The global beauty retailer also stocks products, including the likes of Rihanna‘s Fenty Beauty range and Haus Labs by Lady Gaga.
Photos from the mall showed crowds packing the surrounding storefront, with devoted make-up and skincare savants at the ready.
Abby Hawthorne, 31, from West Bromwich, was among those in line.
‘There’s no place like it when it comes to beauty products,’ she gushed. ‘I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time and I’ll queue for however long it takes.
Thousands of beauty fans and excited shoppers who camped overnight lined the halls at Birmingham’s Bullring this morning, ahead of the opening of Sephora’s newest UK store
The French cosmetics company opened its doors at one of Britain’s biggest shopping centres at 10am today
‘It’s like a beauty theme park and I’m really excited to get in there. People travel for miles to visit their stores and now we have one on the doorstep.’
Meanwhile, content creator and make-up artist Alicia Land, from Bromsgrove, told the BBC that Birmingham had always needed a Sephora – and that going to the store feels ‘like therapy’.
‘It has everything under one roof, all of the best haircare, skincare, make-up, everything you could possibly think of, it’s there,’ she explained.
‘There’s nothing else you could think of that it needs, because it’s got everything.
‘Until it came to London, every time I went to foreign country, I’d have to find a Sephora.
‘It’s almost like therapy. Just having a look around. You don’t even have to buy anything but just look at everything that’s new.’
The latest store from the retailer is the sixth store to open in the UK and has taken over the space previously occupied by Victoria’s Secret.
The store’s public opening follows a VIP party the night before attended by female football stars and social media influencers.
Customers were stood outside in the freezing cold hours before – clad in warm puffer jackets and hats – desperate to get their hands on the cult brands which are not as easy to find on the High Street
The first 500 guests were presented with a wristband to get an exclusive goodie bag packed with Sephora’s top picks like Glossier, Rare Beauty, Kayali and Glow Recipe
The global beauty retailer also stocks products, including the likes of Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty range and Haus Labs by Lady Gaga
Photos from the mall showed crowds packing the surrounding storefront, with devoted make-up and skincare savants at the ready
The latest store from the retailer is the sixth store to open in the UK and has taken over the space previously occupied by Victoria’s Secret
A Sephora spokesperson said it believed ‘in a world that champions all beauty – a world where each one of us feels celebrated for who we are, not what others would like us to be.’
They added they are committed to ‘offering the most unique and special selection in prestige beauty.’
In 2022, global make-up giant Sephora officially arrived in the UK, following its acquisition of the Feelunique website the year prior.
Physical stores in London, Manchester, Newcastle – and now Birmingham – followed.
The company’s former Chairman and CEO praised the UK’s ‘dynamic beauty and wellbeing market’ following the long awaited announcement.
‘We are delighted to bring Sephora to the UK, responding to Britain’s strong demand for our unique prestige beauty experience,’ Chris de Lapuente said at the time.
‘We will offer British consumers a pioneering selection of beauty that is best in class for innovation, diversity and inclusion.
‘Our passionate team cannot wait to serve and inspire UK customers under the Sephora brand.’