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Sephora is one of the largest distributors of LVMH perfumes and cosmetics, which generated 7.7 billion euros in turnover in 2022 with 3,000 stores in 35 countries. After the recent launch of the retailers’ new concept dubbed ‘Store of the Future’ in Singapore, London, Shanghai and Wuhan, Sephora reopened the Paris Champs-Elysées store at the end of October 2023 after 6.5 months of renovations. As the second biggest Sephora (behind Dubai and ahead of New York’s Soho store) and considering its prime location, this refurbishment is strategic to the brand. Also, Sephora will be an official partner of the Olympic torch relay during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The perspective of such a major event called for the “reinvention of] the prestige beauty flagship experience”, as [Guillaume Motte, the retailer’s President and CEO puts it.

It is the first major remodelling of the 1,200 sqm location since it opened in 1996. Back then, Chafik Studio (a guest speaker at the IADS in 2022) designed the store with what was already a true and unprecedented customer-centric vision. The renovation budget is a well-kept secret, but it is the largest investment from Sephora Europe.

Before the renovation, the store accounted for 12 million visitors per year (10,000 daily, compared to 20,000 for the Eiffel Tower), with a quarter coming from outside France. The store sells a product every 15 seconds. In total, 200 people work at the flagship, with 50 to 60 people per day. This does not include the hundred or so brand ambassadors working daily.

The IADS visited the store to see what it has to offer. The store concept has evolved and is more relevant. The store offers a clear segmentation, personalised services and digital features, only if they are considered essential to customers.

Store concept: less black, more light, and the introduction of wood

The new store concept is more livable and a bit breathier than the previous black-and-white one. Considering the one-of-a-kind location, the flagship’s design inspiration is coming from Paris. The walls at the entrance are mimicking the limestone used on Parisian buildings. The Champs-Élysées avenue itself is also a source of inspiration with a large 2.6-metre-wide central white marble paved path that runs straight through the store. Also, the store is filled with light thanks to a 90-metre long glass illuminated ceiling, which can be adjusted to give a natural light feeling (very much needed in this low-ceiling buzzy space).

Sephora’s signature black-and-white stripes are still present, but more subtly on columns. Overall, complementing the white colour, the black colour is less present and used on the floor on each side of the white-paved path and for the lower part of the storage cabinets. The signature red carpet has been kept but only at the store entrance. The store is supposed to be less noisy than before thanks to some specific textures on the walls, as well as the use of wood, which adds a warm and wellness-like feeling to the skincare area. Also, the round-shaped embossed matte white walls contrast with the black elements. Finally, and for the first time in a Sephora, there are large green plants. All the furniture has been redesigned to be more compact without reducing the number of products on display. As a result, the store is easier to navigate.

Store organisation: clear segmentation, personalisation and… brands

Rather than featuring the usual list of product categories, the store directory at the entrance is service-oriented: makeup services, skincare services, hair services, fragrance discovery, brow bar by Benefit, face glow bar by Seasonly, personalised engraving, click & collect, gift wrapping and immediate tax-refund. The directory also mentions the private lounge and the fact that all products are on demand upon request to beauty advisors.

Right after the directory and on the left side stands The Corner, a huge shop-in-shop space which will be devoted to individual brands, with the first one being Dior. Then the category and brand experience rolls out up to the back of the store with a clear segmentation: fragrance, makeup and care.

The store is a big narrow rectangle: it gives a great perspective, but it requires visual stops. This is why the Beauty Hub (already existing in other stores but much bigger here) is located in the middle of the store and considered a kind of ‘Arc de Triomphe’ to the paved path. This space is used to advise customers and to organise events. It is modular and can be managed and animated by Sephora or monetised to other brands. At the time of the opening, a new brand was planned every day, with makeup and skincare brands mostly taking over the hub. Appealing to the younger customers, there is an area showcasing the brands that are ‘Hot on Social Media’, plus ‘The Next Big Thing’ gondola and the ‘Gift Hub’ for gift wrapping. The retailer’s private label collection has its own department, and there’s an area for hair care. A unit dedicated to Dyson hairdryers and GHD straighteners is a new store service. Contrary to the London store, there is no Lip Bar, a category significantly growing post-pandemic.

The store emphasises personalised services with a large number of beauty counters which are monetised to brands. The beauty hub accounts for 16 seated counters where customers can benefit from personalised services depending on the brand: skincare consultations, face massages or makeup services to help consumers achieve the look they want, etc. The Brow Bar offers Benefit masterclasses. The skincare accounts for 8 seated counters. At the time of the visit, some were managed by Clarins (a simple brand sticker is put on mirrors making the brand rotation easier). The hair section has 4 seated counters where customers can book 30-minute hair appointments. The Gift Hub offers personalised gift packaging but also individualised voice messages, scents, and gift boxes. Finally, a private lounge is accessible to Gold customers (the highest level in Sephora's loyalty programme). It is also monetised, as brands can use it for product launches or specific services: at the time of the visit, Guerlain was offering made-to-measure care services.

Is the Champs-Elysées store the store concept for future renovation projects? “Our new stores, such as the Champs-Élysées flagship, as our first London store and our newly renovated stores in Shanghai, Singapore and Wuhan, are sources of inspiration for our future renovations, as they illustrate our strategy and the experience we want to provide to our customers,” Motte said. “But there is no ‘template. Each of them must be meaningful locally and resonate with local communities.”

Finally, Sephora is well known for its power in attracting key, hot new brands and making them exclusive (an issue our members are very familiar with). The brand assortment accounts for 309 brands. There is a handful of exclusive brands including Prada Beauty, Valentino Beauty, Glow Recipe, Maison François Kurkdjian and Penhaligons, which will only be available at the flagship and on Sephora’s French website. This shows efforts in developing the premium and niche fragrances business, which is significantly growing at the moment.

Digital features and payment options emphasize efficiency and loyalty

Click & collect is available in the store. A smaller specific entrance on the left-hand side of the main entrance (already existing before the renovation) is dedicated to click & collect orders and is accessible from the main entrance as well. Also at the entrance, is a selfie-friendly multicolor light box.

A large screen is on display at the right side of the entrance, communicating promotions and events. In the end, fewer screens are animating the different spaces than before, with no use of augmented or virtual reality and no mention of metaverse or Web3. For now, the digital tools are considered gadgets by Sephora and efforts are being put into giving customers a real-life experience. In the future, Sephora might integrate more digital tools, but they will be placed in the hands of the beauty advisors and not in self-service.

The checkout area is located at the end of the central alley. Sephora has completely overhauled its checkout management and now has 4 different flows for customers to access a cash desk. Gold customers have dedicated checkout access. Other customers can choose between a traditional checkout, accessible via a single queue to optimise the customer flow or a self-service checkout, the latter being permanently supervised by advisors to limit shrinkage and help customers during the operation. The display dedicated to miniature and impulse products has been optimised for the checkout waiting line. Finally, cash points are also discreetly scattered around the store for payment by credit card on the sales floor. In 2024, to facilitate payments, Sephora plans on deploying a payment tool directly on beauty advisors’ PDAs using the Tap to Pay Apple technology.

The extensive renovation of Sephora's Champs-Elysées flagship store marks a significant milestone in the company's ongoing evolution and is a testament to the brand's approach to customer-centricity and customer experience. The emphasis on personalisation is a strategic move that addresses the evolving desires of today's consumers. The store's layout doubles down on offering a variety of personalised services such as makeup, skincare, haircare and fragrance discovery, catering to individual customer needs in a more tailored manner. The store is more ‘breathable’ than before, thanks to the optimisation of the displays, the introduction of more light, as well as natural elements like wood and plants.

Credits: IADS (Christine Montard)