Sephora has opened its first store outside of London at Manchester’s Trafford Centre. 

The grand opening on Friday saw hundreds of people queue to be the first customers to get through the doors of the international beauty brand retailer.

The night before, a VIP star-studded line-up including TV presenter Caroline Thomas and actress Alex Fletcher joined in the spectacular celebrations at the exclusive launch party held in store.

Paying homage to the northern roots of Manchester City Centre, Sephora worked with an mix of Northern talent for the Trafford Centre opening with guests treated to live musical performances from the iconic Liquorice Black, Sweet Female Attitude, LILL and Coco Cannell.

Bury Times: Sephora has opened its first store outside of London at Manchester’s Trafford Centre. 

The performances continued on official opening day in the lead up to ribbon cutting and doors opening. 

By 8am this morning, 2000 customers were already outside queuing with more expected to join.

Bury Times:

Sephora UK MD, Sarah Boyd, said: “The vibrant atmosphere and long awaited anticipation for today has been outstanding.

"With it being our first expansion to the North, it is no surprise eager fans and beauty enthusiasts have been queueing since x the night before and this has continued throughout the day which is a true testament to the UK’s growing appetite for SEPHORA. 

“By 8am we were hitting nearly 2000 eager customers. I can’t wait for them to see the store and all the incredible work from the team that has gone into Manchester’s first SEPHORA store opening.”

Bury Times:

The ribbon was cut by Sephora UK’s MD Sarah Boyd, Sephora UK Chief Technology Officer Neil Landan and Store Director Gemma Martin.

The brand’s iconic black and white stripes is the key focus of the Trafford store’s expansive 500 square meter façade. 

The grand Beauty Hub will take a premium position in the Trafford Centre; the shopping hub of the North and offer a range of beauty services and treatments performed by in-house experts.

The first physical UK store opened its doors in March 2023 in White City Westfield London and the second store opened in November 2023 in Stratford Westfield London.