CNBC reports that as part of a new 10-year deal, "Sephora will open hundreds of beauty shops inside Kohl’s stores in coming years in a deal that rivals Target’s recent partnership with Ulta Beauty.
"Some 200 Sephora at Kohl’s locations will open by next fall, rising to at least 850 sites by 2023, the companies announced Tuesday. Sephora will also launch on Kohl’s website next year, offering more than 100 beauty brands, some of which are exclusive to Sephora."
According to the story, "The Sephora shops on Kohl’s will be about 2,500 square feet, offering most of the same services found at other Sephora stores, including help with makeup application, and replacing Kohl’s current beauty assortment.
"Kohl’s employees trained by Sephora will staff the locations, which will be positioned near the front of the store and occasionally accessible by a separate entrance, Gass said. The Sephora logo will join Kohl’s outside the stores."
The deal is said to be similar to one made recently between Target and Ulta, reflecting a desire on the part of all these entities to add luster and shopper appeal to bricks-and-mortar locations that may be made endangered by accelerated consumer trends toward e-commerce.
It is, of course, not Sephora's first time at this particular beauty bar. Sephora made a similar deal with JC Penney more than a dozen years ago, but its presence wasn't enough JC Penney avoid the long and seemingly intractable decline upon which it has been involved.
- KC's View:
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Sounds like a smart move to me in the sense it makes Sephora more available and Kohl's more interesting. The only question is whether this is a bandage that will not ultimately cure the disease that is plaguing the bricks-and-mortar model.
