A line of 3,000 avid beauty fans packed the Trafford Center today (May 16) hoping to be among the first customers to get their hands on the latest beauty purchases at the new Sephora store.
The French multinational opened the doors to its first store in the north just before 10am, which was quickly packed with customers, some of whom had camped outside.
First to arrive were sisters Nailah Zeria, 22, and Maliha, 19, who got in line at 6pm last night and couldn’t sleep a wink because of their excitement.
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Shouting over the blaring music from the DJ booth outside the store, Nailah said: “I didn’t think I’d be the first, but I’m so happy I’m here… I still can’t believe it.”
“To be honest, we didn’t sleep, we were too excited,” she added.
Describing the moment she and her sister found themselves at the very front of the queue, she said: “We were waiting in the food court and then we were sent in at 11.30pm. There was a tannoy who said, ‘You can make your way to Sephora now’ and everyone ran away. We made sure we got to the front.”
The sisters, who live 10 minutes from the Trafford Centre, said that when they go on holiday to Dubai, the Sephora store is one of the first places they visit.
Maliha said: “We go to Dubai and literally spend two hours shopping at Sephora. Whenever someone is there or in America, I ask them to buy Sephora products for me.
The duo were two of the first 500 customers to receive an exclusive wristband at 9:30 a.m. ahead of the grand opening. When exchanged in the store, the wristband assured them of an exclusive goodie bag full of treats. Until Sunday (May 19), the first 100 customers will also receive a Sephora goodie bag every day.
Another customer who bagged a goodie bag was Isla McNally, who celebrated her 15th birthday in line and received a birthday cake from the Sephora team.
Isla and her father traveled from Rossendale in Lancashire for the opening. The 15-year-old said: “This will be a memory to remember. I’m going to tell my kids about this,” adding, “I just love Sephora every time I go. I always look for Sephora. I like rare beauty.”
Other customers making the journey to Greater Manchester from further afield included friends Caitlyn Marrell, 20, and Maisy Henry, 23, who queued at midnight after driving from Crewe.
Caitlyn said there were 20 people ahead of them when they arrived and she managed to earn an hour’s worth of kip by using her bag as a cushion on the ground.
Fellow customer Saoirse Hephurn, 24, from Altrincham, was not so lucky, explaining she had been awake since 3am when she first joined the queue.
“There were about thirty people in front of me when I arrived here at ten to three in the morning. I stayed awake. “I just love makeup and trying new things,” she said.
Ellie Gee, 23, from Manchester, was queuing at Sephora a few hours later at 5am and had already filled a basket by 10.15am – just 15 minutes after the store’s doors opened.
Ellie said the ‘star of the show’ in her basket was the Summer Fridays lip gloss, which she bought in every colour.
Sephora decided to open the store in Manchester after it emerged as the most requested city for its next location by the brand’s customers. The two other British stores are both located in London.
The retailer says the Manchester store will ‘redefine the beauty landscape in the North with an extraordinary product range that meets the diverse needs of beauty lovers’.
Jillian, 40, who was queuing with her daughter Daisy, 15, said she thinks the new store could be transformative for the Trafford Center and is ‘great’ for Greater Manchester.
“Manchester is on the rise. I mean, the Trafford center needed a new lease of life and I think this will really work,” she added.
Meanwhile, Katie, 27, said having the store in Manchester will save her ‘a lot of money’ on shipping costs.
“Trying on sunglasses is very difficult when you have to shop online, so it’s fun to explore the range in person. I’m so glad the store is in Manchester – it saves me a lot of shipping costs.”
Britney, 24, agreed, saying: “I’m so happy I don’t have to travel to America or London now. It’s really good!”
Also in the queue was Sheila, 33, who brought her three-month-old son and left her partner to sleep at home. The 33-year-old said she was also pleased the retailer chose Manchester as the home base for its third store.
“I arrived here at 5:45 am. Of course I came for the goodie bag, but Sephora is such a big brand and I’ve always loved everything I got from them. It’s so nice to have them in Manchester.
“My son is three months old and I hate having to drag him here, but since I have a baby and I’m home with him, I just wanted to get out. His father was still in bed and I didn’t think it was fair to wake him, so I took him with me [the baby] by.
“It’s nice that they are representing the North by landing in Manchester, just because of the diversity and culture they represent.”
Sephora paid tribute to the store’s location by handpicking a mix of Northern talent to perform for guests at the store’s exclusive launch party and official opening. Artists included Liquorice Black, Sweet Female Attitude, LILL and Coco Cannell.
Sephora’s UK managing director Sarah Boyd said: “The lively atmosphere and high anticipation for today was excellent.
“Being our first expansion north, it’s no surprise that avid fans and beauty enthusiasts have been queuing since 6pm the night before and this has continued throughout the day, which is a true testament to the growing interest of Great Britain for Sephora.
“At 8 a.m. we reached almost 2,000 enthusiastic customers. I can’t wait for them to see the store and all the incredible work from the team that helped open the first Sephora store in Manchester”