Sephora New Zealand flagship opening in July

Sephora has said its first New Zealand flagship store will be opened in July – though it stopped short of confirming an exact date.

The beauty retailer revealed the detail on its social media channels on Wednesday morning, telling Kiwis to cancel their holiday plans in anticipation of the launch.

Sephora has remained tight-lipped on details of the incoming Auckland store, although it is understood it will be located on Queen Street and is part of a larger push into Asia that will see Hong Kong and Korea added to the brand’s retail locations.

Sephora managing director for Southeast Asia Alia Gogi also confirmed that the brand would be touring the New Zealand countryside by way of a ‘Beauty Bus’, giving Kiwis outside of Auckland an opportunity to interact with the brand.

The bus will be touring across five cities including Auckland, though the other cities have not been decided.

Sephora Asia president Benjamin Vuchot has earlier said New Zealand will be a key market in building the Sephora brand in Asia.

“This expansion to a new market will allow Sephora to continue to amplify global beauty trends locally, elevate what our clients expect of the in-store experience and bring fresh, digital touch points to the retail environment,” Vuchot said.