Today, Sephora UK opened a new beauty retail destination in the West Midlands’ shopping heartland, Birmingham’s Bullring & Grand Central. The latest beauty playground from the retailer is the sixth store to open in the UK as well as the first in the region. The new store in Birmingham is a true brand statement, revealing the biggest Sephora window facade in Europe spanning 26 metres and featuring a unique wavy design.

Before the official grand opening at 10am, anticipation and excitement filled Bullring & Grand Central with queues of eager of beauty obsessed customers to be the first ones to come through the doors of the beloved mega beauty playground and to receive one of the 500 coveted goody bags.

From 7AM, queuing customers were treated to a slew of entertainment and hospitality from Sephora, with host and drag MC Don One kicking off the festivities in the morning, music from Birmingham DJ SOULQU3ST, beverages and treats from Soho Coffee, Bubbleology, Boost Juice and Cano Water, and a surprise act from local Birmingham hype man, Speaker Flex UK, keeping spirits high for those in line.

The retail brand had an exciting procession of grand opening moments to supercharge the energy in Bullring & Grand Central, starting with a parade that paid homage to the vibrant Birmingham community. Local Bollywood Dancers, Bhangra dancers and drummers, street dancers, Caribbean festival dancers, and members of the Birmingham City University Cheerleading squad were participants in the parade, who danced and performed to the front of the store to tee up the the big reveal of the Sephora window facade with a show stopping kabuki curtain drop, revealed by Sephora UK MD Sarah Boyd, Sephora worldwide CEO & President, Guillaume Motte, and Sephora Europe and Middle East President, Sylvie Moreau. Don One then introduced the iconic “Sephora BA dance” which featured some of Sephora’s Beauty Advisors from the Birmingham store, as well as some staff from their distribution centre, to perform a dance before the ribbon was cut by Boyd and store director Melanie Pryor, and the doors were officially opened to the public.

For the opening morning, Bullring & Grand Central saw over 2000 customers queue outside the Sephora store with many more shoppers expected to come today and this weekend. Throughout the day, those in line can expect a variety of surprise and delight moments, including birthday celebrations for those celebrating in line, giveaways from partner brands Benefit, Tarte, and Sol De Janeiro, and opportunities for customers to win prizes from brands such as Sunday Riley, Tatcha, Rare Beauty and Haus Labs, answering Birmingham trivia questions in Sephora’s 0121 Phonebooth.

Lucky beauty enthusiasts who couldn’t make opening day will still have the opportunity to enjoy surprise beauty treats over the weekend, fans are advised to tune into Sephora UK’s Instagram for live updates. Performances from local buskers and musicians will also fill the halls of the Bullring & Grand Central as part of Sephora’s commitment to spotlighting and elevating local talent with each store opening.

“We are thrilled to finally open the doors to our long-anticipated Sephora Birmingham store within Hammerson’s Bullring & Grand Central centre, and to mark a true brand moment with our biggest window facade in Europe. The appetite for our opening from this rich and diverse community has been electrifying and energetic, and it was important for us to honour them with a grand opening procession that celebrated the vibrant people of this city. We are looking forward to welcoming ‘Babs’ from across the city and the region to a beauty space that feels distinctly theirs.” Sarah Boyd, Managing Director, Sephora UK

“As our customers’ most requested brand, Sephora’s launch at Bullring & Grand Central creates even more reasons to visit the destination, amplified further by a range of popular names in beauty exclusive to the Bullring store. It is this constant engagement with our visitors, paired with the creative repositioning of our offer, that maintains demand from both customers and leading brands alike.” - Katy Letch, Head of Leasing UK at Hammerson

Thousands of shoppers queue as Sephora opens new store in Birmingham at Bullring & Grand central

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