Why have Sephora not opened shops in the UK or Ireland?

[hollyisalovelyname]

Just that.
Why have they not bothered to expand. The U.K. would be a huge market for them. Ireland a small market but a shop in Dublin would do so well.
What's the thinking behind their decision does any Mumsnetter know ?

If anyone's watching, the following would be welcome in Australia, specifically Perth dream on

Sephora
Anthropologie
Trader Joe's
Daiso
Boots

The Sephora in Sydney is great Koala. We also have multiple Daiso stores over here. You're on the wrong coast!

I love Mecca though - I've bought products that I'd never have tried if it wasn't for their assistants in store. They're great at suggesting new skin care and make up. I love them.

I'm definitely on the wrong coast got shopping, yes - it's a wasteland over here!

*for

Loads of stuff isn't sold in the uk that they sell, I wish they would

The one in Marbella at least does

My favourite thing about Sephora (specifically US versions) is the aisle of joy/doom. The minis bit you get sucked into as part of the checkout queue. I'm a sucker for a mini anyway, so a whole bunch of them together in a LAST MINUTE MUST BUY situation is just too much temptation.

I thought it's usp was proper lighting & helpful (truthful!) unpushy cs advisors. Certainly that's what I loved in Paris & SF. It's very hard to pull off the lighting in a mall like Bentalls though.

natty that is SO true! I can never resist the bits on the way to pay . I end up doubling what I've already bought. I love the loyalty points too as I always get offered something thing good on checkout. When we go to the US I always check where the nearest Sephora is. In Vegas there were at least 3 . DH was gutted 😂

Having lived in the UK and the US, I would say there isn't somewhere to buy cosmetics from in the US that's a major national drugstore chain that's as good as Boots. Walgreens, Rite Aid etc only seem to do cheap brands. Target is not bad but still doesn't have the range that Boots has.

So Sephora meets a definite need here that isn't so great in the UK. Also I'm not sure you'd get quite the enthusiasm level among customer service staff at a UK store that you get in the US. There's a different service culture here. And it's that constant attention you get in the store and showing you all the different products - not in a hard sell way but in a look, isn't this cool way - that helps sell, sell, sell. There's a buzz in the US stores that I've been to that I've never felt at Boots.

As pp have said, IMO Sephora is less relevant in UK but not because UK customers prefer personal salespeople. Some shoppers detest them as a marketing method, but it's not about the customer when the brands prefer the sales levels generated by store concessions. UK pays £ per $ for international cosmetics a lot of the time, so 'pressured' sales are more common in the mid to high end brands.

Visiting the stores abroad also think Sephora has a more young/teen appeal where price points are more important, even in Dubai. Having withdrawn from UK retail and therefore lowered the profile of their brand I don't think Sephora will reappear in UK any time soon.

If Sephora opened in Dundrum shopping centre in Dublin it would be jammed with customers.
Are you listening LVMH ( owners) and MD Christopher de Lapuente.
I am a campaigner- I asked for an Irish section on Mumsnet and.....voila..... Craicnet.

I remember the one in Kingston! Used to love going in there as a teen and trying all the stuff.

Whenever I go to the ones in Europe I am sorely disappointed. The US ones are a different matter. I think the appeal for me is that you can get brands that you can't get here so I get very excited. Plus with the exchange rate it used to be so much cheaper so you could splurge. Mind you I'm the same with the US pharmacies!

I do think they will open again here at some point - they'll build up to like when Victoria's Secret opened.

I love love their minis that they do of things so would love to be able to get those!

Yes it's the American Sephora I'd like.