French cosmetic chain to enter Duluth market

It's 150% official, an associate for Sephora says, that Duluth finally will be graced with the presence of the Sephora brand later this year. While the brand won't be opening an official stand alone Sephora store, they will be almost there with a location that will open inside JCPenney's at the Miller Hill Mall.

If you're unaware of the Sephora brand, you might want to take a seat while we describe to you the company that is taking the U.S. by storm. Entering the U.S. market in 1998, Sephora now has over 1,700 locations in over 30 countries wordwide. The average Sephora store carries over 100 different brands, including their own Sephora brand. But it's not just cosmetics we are talking about here. Oh no. They carry a whole slew of things. We're talking about haircare, skincare, body products, fragrances, color, and of course, makeup. Sephora locations quite possibly could be best known for are their extensive lines of perfume and colognes that they carry. And yes, they carry products for men too!

So now let's explain how Sephora could possibly enter the Duluth market.... without having an actual stand alone store. In October of 2006 Sephora began opening stores within JCPenny's across the country. While these locations within JCPenney carry a lot of the same makeup, skincare, and fragrances as the typical stand alone stores, they also carry some products that cannot be found in a traditional Sephora store. Currently there are almost 400 Sephora locations in various JCPenney stores across the country. Now just because these locations aren't a stand alone Sephora, that doesn't mean that you're going to miss out on the Sephora experience. What happens is basically an entire (smaller) Sephora location is literally built within JCPenney. You'll feel as if you've walked into a Sephora location.... while still remaining inside JCPenney. It's a win win for both corporations and goes along with JCPenney's "shop within a shop" concept that they have been rolling out in various locations across the country.