November 10, 2020

Ulta at Target Locations Opening Soon

Target and Ulta Beauty announced today that Ulta be opening makeup and skincare mini stores inside Target locations across the country within the second half of new year. That means a smaller little Ulta store will be located inside your local Target (also, Ulta will have a special place on Target’s website to shop make and beauty).

Ulta will begin training Target employees as beauty consultants as well! The Ulta stores inside Target will be about 1,000 square feet and carry around 40 different beauty brands as well as a roatation f different hair care and fragrances. The concept is the same one we’ve seen from Sephora within JCPenny. They’ll also be a new concept at Ulta Target locations called GlamLab that allows customers to safely try on makeup digitally versus swatching or trying items on in store.

This will be a win for both companies as both Target and Ulta have a larger consumer base. Much to my suprise I leanred today that Ulta had store closures this year and a drop in sales so this stands to be a bigger gain for Ulta than Target.

As we know makeup has been hit the hardest during the pandemic with skincare and other bath and body items growing in popularity as more and more people work from home or are just home more often due to COVID.

The concept of Target and Ulta being at one location is an interesting one but will it be an issue for beauty sales at Target? Target already has a rather large beauty section and carries a variety of drugstore and mid-range brands such as Pixi. Will bringing in Ulta effect the sale on these items?

I’m curious to see how this unfolds! But knowing Target we can expect great things from this collaboration I’m sure!

14 Comments

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

    • Isabella Muse

      they already have starbucks inside now ulta? I just need a bed and I’ll sleep at Target lol!

  • Michelle

    They probably won’t be a my local Target since Ulta is about 1/2 a mile away from it.

  • Christina

    I don’t expect it to affect sales of items already carried at Target. My guess is they’ll bring in the more unique brands exclusive to Ulta because why would they bring in items/brands that already exist? People are still going to buy what they were originally going to buy at Target and Ulta; they can now just go to one place for it instead of making it two stops. Also, drugstore prices have always been lower at Target anyway (at least in my area), so I don’t see competition there.

    But oh bother, I can barely get the sales associate to help me with regular items sold at Target. I don’t expect them to be much help with the Ulta items; then again, I never rely on sales associates anyway. 🙂 If I’m rambling and sound grumpy, it’s because I’m running on 3 hours of sleep. LOL!

    • Isabella Muse

      I don’t know about the whole sales associate thing either. I wonder if they’ll be a separate area you need to check out? I mean can I put it in my cart with everything else or do I need to do my ulta shop and proceed to another line for my target? oh no! get some sleep dear!

  • kjh

    Lots to think about with this one. For people who live at a distance from each, it’s a match made in heaven. For those of us in the near-burbs in 2020, there are usually at least 2 of each within 30 min drive. Just as department stores have different selections for different target demographics (lol!) stores within stores mostly do the same. As to the cannibalization, it seems the brands themselves do not care, as long as they get the sale. Remember when S started carrying all the EL companies, etc. and we were all shocked? Target has really upped the game and scored representation for semi-indie budget brands, like MUG, LipBar, etc. Ulta has been scoring HE brands like a turkey gobbler. The S in JCP near me was not a draw/win for either. T and U are very similar in their masstige/prestige concepts. Suspect most diehards would opt for the bigger Ulta for a bigger haul, and possibly pop in on a Target run. The virtual instore try on is a far better idea than tech incompatibility and eff ups of try at home. I think this is a good strategy, to have an alliance, in the collapse of retail. They will still be separate online, no?
    Looooove your industry posts.

    • Isabella Muse

      Ulta will actually have a separate area on Target’s website which is interesting to me! aw thanks <3! glad you like these posts!

      • kjh

        Awesome! I’d go just to go, maybe in 2022? Or is that pessimistic? The industry is fascinating, lends itself well to analysis and armchair quarterbacking. When you know the industry a bit, you become a better shopper. and you can role-play being on the business side. Where are you going?why? how? This stuff is as much fun as product!

        • Jennifer F

          Me too! I was in the biz full time and now I just consult. It’s a very interesting time to watch right now but I do feel for my friend’s businesses right now.

  • MelodyJ

    Interesting. Target is becoming a mini mall. Don’t forget they not only have Starbucks but they have CVS as well. It feels like an updated version of an old concept. The big popular department stores located in downtowns during most of the 20th century had highly specialized areas all through the store.

    It actually seems like a better fit than JCP and Sephora. Target and Ulta have more overlap. I noticed that when I go to bigger Targets there is an already expanded product offering and the look and feel of the beauty area is more upscale than the Targets closer to me.

    • Isabella Muse

      I almost forgot about CVS! Too true! and agreed! Ulta and Target seem a really good fit where as JCP and Sephora always had me scratching my head! Why Sephora choose JCP is beyond me!?

  • Dee

    I like this ! I would rather make one stop, especially right now with Covid, than go to Target and then Ulta. And as others have said this makes a lot more sense than JCP and Sephora.

  • Christina

    Hmmm…wonder if you can pay with your Target Red Card and get that 5% discount…