Sephora is coming to Australia ‘before Christmas’

UPDATE: Sephora has brought forward its plans to launch in Australia. The first store down under will be open before Christmas.

According to the AFR, the cosmetics giant will take over the Esprit store in Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall and be a three-level 800 sq metre store.

To recap:

Another day, another announcement that yet another multinational retail chain is looking to set up shop in Australia, this time it’s Sephora, the Holy Grail of cosmetics.

After negotiations to team up with a local retailer reportedly failed with Myer, David Jones and Mecca Cosmetica, the make-up behemoth is heading our way and flying solo.

The world’s biggest beauty retailer is set to open the first of around 25 stand alone stores in Sydney some time next year.

The chain, which sells around $4.4 million worth of face paint and other products including hair and nail care per year, was encouraged to be autonomous in Australia after the resounding success of recently opened stores in Asia.

While this won’t mean we’ll all be able to buy NARS lipsticks for dirt cheap prices – as global cosmetic companies rarely discount – this will be, according to a source who spoke to The Australian Financial Review, the first time in 50-years the likes of Myer and DJs will encounter competition in the make-up market.

After womenswear, cosmetics is the biggest selling category at both department stores. They control about 60 per cent of our “premium cosmetics market”, selling everything from Estee Lauder to L’Oreal.

While it hasn’t been confirmed, it’s believed Benefit Cosmetics ‘They’re Real’ mascara is Myer’s best selling item.

Words by Jenna Clarke