The French-owned cosmetics store Sephora has announced its seventh UK opening in Kent’s Bluewater Shopping Centre. The global juggernaut’s stock of beauty products is pretty much unrivalled, but until recently UK shoppers have had limited options for in-person browsing. 

Now Sephora’s vast array of lotions and potions will be available at Bluewater, which was ranked the UK’s best shopping centre in 2023. 

We don’t have a date for the opening as yet, but Sephora has said it plans to open the Kent branch this winter. Sephora has also announced more locations in the north of England, including stores in Gateshead’s Metrocentre, Newcastle’s Eldon Square and Birmingham’s Bullring.

The brand has enjoyed a rapid rise in Britain over the past year or so. Based in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, it was absent from the British retail landscape for seventeen years, leaving the market in 2005 after opening six UK stores in the space of five years. 

Sephora made a comeback in March 2023 with a physical store in Westfield White City. By then, it had rebuilt its cult following, thanks in part to the proliferation of skincare and makeup trends online. The brand’s west London debut was quickly followed by a branch in Westfield Stratford and one in Manchester’s Trafford Centre, which opened in May this year. 

Visitors to Sephora can access brands which aren’t available at competitors like Boots or Superdrug. The high-profile lineup includes Makeup by Mario, GXVE by Gwen Stefani and Haus Labs by Lady Gaga. Sephora has also earned a reputation for their skincare selection and own-brand products. 

James Waugh, the director of Bluewater, told Retail Gazette: ‘Sephora is one of the most regularly requested brands by our guests, so we’re really excited to be welcoming it to our retail line-up later this year.’ 

Sephora’s Kent location will also offer in-store treatments from brands like Elemis, Dermalogis and Seasonly. Goodbye winter skin blues – it sounds like British shoppers are in for a glowing end to the year. 

Beauty fanatic? Keep an eye on all the Boots stores closing this summer

You can also check out our guide to London’s best beauty shops 

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