US. Sephora USA and J.C. Penney Company, one of the largest department store retailers in the US, have announced a joint initiative under which Sephora will open “store-within-stores” and be the exclusive beauty offering in JCPenney shops, beginning as early as this autumn.
The Sephora in JCPenney stores will feature the top brands from make-up, skincare, fragrance and accessory products carried in Sephora’s 120 stores across the US.
Each JCPenney Sephora will be in a prominent location in the centre core of the store. It will have the signature Sephora look, including open-sell gondolas and wall linears, allowing customers easy access to products, and be staffed with a professional team of product consultants trained under the “Science of Sephora” education programme.
In addition, the initiative will bring together two Internet powerhouses. Sephora, the largest on-line retailer of prestige beauty products, will exclusively service the JCP consumer’s on-line beauty needs through a link to www.sephora.com from www.jcp.com, which recently surpassed US$1 billion in annual revenues.
“We see this initiative with JCPenney as a way to dramatically increase our retail presence, while we continue our core strategy of aggressively building free-standing stores across the country,” said Sephora USA President and CEO David Suliteanu.
“JCPenney’s focus on providing relevant merchandise to its broad customer base is consistent with our objectives. This includes America’s youngest women, a market in which JCPenney is a significant and rapidly growing factor.
“We believe that JCPenney will continue to grow in size and strength for many years to come,” commented Myron E. (Mike) Ullman, III, JCPenney Chairman and CEO [and former DFS Group chief].
“Our initiative with Sephora is a clear reflection of the transformation underway at JCPenney as we seek to build an emotional connection with our current customers and bring new customers into our stores and onto www.jcp.com.
“Our customer has been telling us that she wants a beauty and cosmetics selection that is new, exciting, and within her reach. There is simply no better partner to allow us to achieve that than Sephora, the most revolutionary, innovative retailer in the beauty industry.
“We welcome Sephora to JCPenney, and strongly believe that its addition will give our current and new customers another outstanding reason to shop with us.”
MORE STORIES ON SEPHORA
Beauty specialist Sephora set to exit UK market – 04/04/05
Sephora to enter Canadian market – 18/08/04
