Kohl’s and Sephora are partnering for a long term shop-in-shop strategy to enhance the selection of available beauty products.
The “Sephora at Kohl’s” concept joins the Kohl’s customer base and omnichannel benefits with Sephora’s prestigious service and expansive array of beauty products. The fully immersive experience will take up 2,500 square feet at the front of the store.
“This new collaboration is an excellent example of two customer-centric, purpose-driven companies leveraging each other’s strengths to make aspirational beauty far more accessible to millions of customers all across the country,” Michelle Gass, CEO of Kohl’s, said in a statement on Tuesday (Dec. 1).
She added that Sephora “shares our values and our passion for innovation and reinvention” and is an example of the “bold moves” being advanced as Kohl’s strives to “reimagine our future for the next era of retail.”
Sephora is planning to bring more than 100 “carefully curated beauty brands” to the 65 million U.S. Kohl’s customers. Kohl’s is on a mission to become the go-to store for active and casual lifestyles. The first 200 locations are on track to open in the autumn of 2021, with plans to be in a minimum of 850 stores by 2023.
“This is not a pop-up collaboration, but an investment our brand partners can rely on for the long-term … Sephora has every confidence in the future of this collaboration and the unique experiences it will bring to consumers across the U.S.,” said Jean-André Rougeot, president and chief executive officer of Sephora Americas.
Rougeot added that the collaboration will extend “our complementary reach” while growing both its digital and in-store presence.
Sephora has 2,600 brick-and-mortar shops, 500 of which are located in the Americas. Kohl’s has 1,150-plus physical locations in 49 states.
Martin Brok, global president and CEO of Sephora, said the partnership will introduce new customers to both brands and provide a single “transformative beauty experience that integrates our prestige product offering, our values and our communities.”
Sephora will take the place of the current Kohl’s beauty offerings, with signage reflecting both brands.
Sephora currently has a number of partnerships in place, including a 14-year collaboration with JCPenney that was recently reaffirmed after legal issues jeopardized the relationship.
Paris-headquartered Sephora also recently partnered with Instacart for same-day delivery of beauty products.
The September PYMNTS report “Anatomy of a Consumer Payment Playbook: The Payments Experience Edition” analyzes how retailers can leverage the shifts in customers’ payment habits amid the pandemic. Carolyn Bojanowski, senior vice president and general manager of eCommerce for Sephora, said in a recent PYMNTS interview that it’s critical to provide people with options.
