Popular LVMH-owned beauty retailer Sephora continues to expand its operations in Canada. It is opening a number of stores this year, and is renovating and expanding some exiting locations. As well, Sephora will introduce its new tech-focused ‘TIP’ concept to its West Edmonton Mall location — only its second in Canada.
This summer, Sephora opened a 5,500 square foot location at the Intercity Shopping Center in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and according to Christine Delebarre, VP Stores and Client Service Sephora Canada, the company will continue with its expansion momentum into the fall. She confirmed that stores will be opening at Conestoga Mall in Waterloo and at New Sudbury Centre in Sudbury, both in Ontario, and offerings are being expanded at some existing locations, including at Toronto’s Scarborough Town Centre as well as at West Edmonton Mall.
The expanded West Edmonton Mall store will be the second in Canada to feature Sephora’s ‘TIP’ concept — TIP stands for “Teach, Inspire, Play”, and Sephora describes the concept as being “where digital technology and services fuse, culminating in a truly revolutionary shopping experience for modern day beauty enthusiasts of all ages to beauty together”. The new concept store also includes “a customized array of one-of-a-kind services and tutorials.”
Sephora’s first Canadian TIP location debuted at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre in August of 2016 and at the time, it was only the third Sephora in North America to include the installation. At Yorkdale, the ‘Beauty Tip Workshop’ consists of an area for multiple clients to learn via group beauty classes led by Sephora experts, gain self-guided access to tutorials using iPad stations, or to gather inspiration from The Beauty Board — Sephora’s shop-able gallery that showcases user-generated content via a large digital screen. Each station is equipped with its own product, iPad, USB port and wifi, so clients can play, browse and share looks on the digital screen and online, right from their seat.
There’s more in store for Sephora in Canada, though Ms. Delebarre wouldn’t yet be specific. “We have a few digital innovations coming up, including brand new platforms with features that will facilitate a greater connection between our clients and us. I can’t share too much yet, but this and other innovations in stores and online are coming later this year and we’re excited to get even closer to beauty enthusiasts across Canada!”
Sephora has been expanding aggressively in Canada over the past several years, including its ‘Take Over Toronto’ initiative that saw the opening of new stores, as well as the expansion of other locations. Sephora works with brokerage Aurora Realty Consultants for its Canadian real estate, under the direction of Jeff Berkowitz.
