Crowds queue overnight for beauty chain Sephora’s Belgian launch
Cosmetics chain Sephora has opened its first store in Belgium, in the Docks Bruxsel shopping centre. People of all ages queued from the early hours to be among the first customers.
The French brand – owned by the luxury group LVMH – has built a huge online reputation and owes its popularity to its vast range of products. It has more than 3,400 stores stocking around 500 brands, in addition to its own collection. The chain is particularly popular with young people.
The first people in the queue arrived at around midnight and slept there overnight. Entertainment featuring drag queens, dance groups and flag-bearers was organised, and waffles and water were distributed. Shortly before 10:00, the first customers were allowed to enter in small groups.
The store has 270 square metres of retail space and offers make-up advice, skin analysis and an engraving service. A second branch will open in the City 2 shopping centre in central Brussels in July, with two more scheduled by the end of the year and several more openings across the country expected next year.
For Catherine Spindler, managing director of Sephora Europe, it was time to establish a presence in Belgium, which she described as “a mature and sophisticated market for luxury beauty products, with well-informed and engaged consumers”.
“We knew that our arrival in Belgium was eagerly anticipated and we had been seeing growing interest in our brand for several years,” she said.
Elaborate skincare routines are ubiquitous on social media, even on the feeds of the youngest users. Experts have warned repeatedly about this phenomenon and stress that an eight-year-old, for example, does not need skincare and that the use of potentially harmful ingredients can damage their skin.
Spindler says she takes these concerns seriously and that all products in the shop comply with strict European safety standards. At the same time, she says Sephora has a responsibility to guide its customers towards products that are suitable for their age.
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