Sephora reveals final four cities on ‘Beauty Bus’ tour

Sephora has announced Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton and Auckland as the final four cities to be visited by the retailer’s double-decker ‘Beauty Bus’ in July.

The Beauty Bus will feature Sephora’s own products, as well as Fenty Beauty by Rihanna, tarte, Huda Beauty, Marc Jacobs Beauty on-board, but the products will not be available for purchase.

“The Sephora Beauty Bus is all about the Sephora experience,” Sephora national artistry lead Alphie Sadsad said.

“We have an online presence in New Zealand via our online store and app already, so this tour is all about letting our customers swatch, try and play with the products they’ve never seen in person.

“Come in, try something new and then shop the full Sephora assortment online if you liked what you tried. It’s a whole new way of shopping, and we are excited for New Zealand to be the first to experience it.”

Wrapped in Sephora’s white and black stripes, the 11-metre bus also offers custom-built makeup stations manned by Sephora makeup artists.

The Beauty Bus is traveling around New Zealand next month in anticipation of the retailer’s first store in the country, set to open on Queen Street in Auckland in early July.

The locations of the bus tour were chosen in the retailer’s ‘bring Sephora to your town’ competition, which encouraged Kiwis to vote for the chance to have the bus visit their town.

While the brand has been tightlipped about its store launch, it is believed to be part of a larger push into the Asia market, which will also see stores opening in Korea and Hong Kong.

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.

Sephora Beauty Bus locations and dates:

• Cathedral Square, Christchurch – 12 to 4 pm, 6 July
• Northlands Mall, Christchurch – 12 to 4 pm, 7 July
• Oldins Plaza, Wellington Waterfront – 12 to 4 pm, 10 and 11 July
• Garden Place, Hamilton – 12 to 4 pm, 13 July
• The Base, Hamilton – 12 to 4 pm, 14 July
• Sylvia Park, Auckland – 12 to 4 pm, 17 July
• The Viaduct, Auckland – 12 to 4 pm, 18 July