Online shopping has risen to new heights in the last couple years, especially with more people staying inside because of the COVID pandemic. Even though we're now out of our houses, the ease of buying what we want with the push of a button means retailers are having to do more than ever these days to draw customers back to their brick-and-mortars. With that in mind, Kohl's has revealed plans for a major change that will hit 400 of its stores this year. Read on to find out about the latest upgrade to your go-to department store.
RELATED: Lowe's Is Making This Big Change In Stores, Starting Today.
Kohl's is opening new Sephora shops inside of 400 stores.
ShutterstockYour local Kohl's store might be in line for a makeover. The retailer just announced that it will be adding Sephora shops to 400 of its stores in 2022, USA Today reported on Feb. 15. The shops will open in various existing Kohl's locations across more than 35 states this year: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Sephora shops are replacing the store's current in-store beauty department. Like many other department stores such as Nordstrom or Macy's, Kohl's has been operating with traditional beauty counters, but the Sephora at Kohl's experience will operate more like a store within a store, with each Sephora shop occupying about 2,500 square feet near the store entrance, per USA Today.
Some of the department store's locations already have a Sephora.
ShutterstockThese aren't the first set of Sephora shops at Kohl's. The two companies' partnership actually began last year. In 2021, Kohl's opened the first of these small beauty shops in 200 of its stores. But the newest expansion of Sephora shops will bring the collaboration to millions more customers across the U.S., Doug Howe, Kohl's chief merchandising officer, told USA Today.
"The quick and vast rollout of Sephora at Kohl’s is a testament to how much we believe in this partnership and making prestige beauty more accessible to people everywhere," Howe said. "We’re excited to grow and bring this elevated beauty experience to more of Kohl’s existing and new customers this year."
According to USA Today, the two companies intend to bring the Sephora at Kohl's experience to more than 850 of the more than 1,150 Kohl's stores in the country by 2023.
RELATED: For more retail news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter
Sephora is planning to bring more brands to all of its Kohl's stores in 2022.
ShutterstockEven the Sephora at Kohl's stores from 2021 are getting something of a makeover in the new year. According to USA Today, shoppers at these locations have had access to around 125 brands and more than 8,500 products, from makeup and skincare to hair and fragrance.
The available brands include Sephora-favorites like Rare Beauty, NARS, Charlotte Tilbury, Kiehl's, Giorgio Armani, Olaplex, Clinique, and Sephora Collection. But this spring, Sephora is adding six new beauty brands to its assortment in Kohl's stores: Murad, Clarions, Jack Black, Living Proof, Versace, and Voluspa.
“Since our partnership with Kohl’s began, we’ve always had the intention to keep the Sephora at Kohl’s beauty assortment as relevant and similar to our freestanding Sephora stores as possible," Artemis Patrick, Sephora’s executive vice president and global chief merchandising officer, told USA Today.
Another major retailer also recently partnered with a beauty store.
ShutterstockThe Sephora at Kohl's experience is not a brand new idea. After all, Sephora shops have operated within JCPenney stores since Oct. 2006. And in 2021, Target announced a new partnership with Sephora's rival, Ulta Beauty. The retailer launched Ulta Beauty at Target shops in more than 100 stores in August of last year. The two companies plan to have a total of 800 locations in the coming years.
"As the retail and beauty industries continue to evolve, we take pride in being leaders that continually redefine and elevate guest experiences. Ulta Beauty at Target reflects our commitment to drive the industry forward and keep our guests meaningfully engaged," Kecia Steelman, Ulta Beauty's chief operating officer, said in a July 2021 statement.
RELATED: Walmart Is Making This Major Change for Shoppers, Starting This Month.
