Hundreds of people queued up for the opening of a Sephora in Manchester this morning – with one couple sleeping overnight to be the first to experience the new beauty store.
At the very front of the line was make-up fan Frances, 19, who was accompanied by Shiv, 20. They had been camping in the Manchester Arndale Shopping Centre since 8:50pm last night.
The pair, from Barnsley, West Yorkshire, had had no sleep between them, running on one red bull and a few coffees. They only left the queue to go to the toilet in Walkabout bar.
Frances, who works as a teaching assistant said: ‘I missed the Trafford Centre opening because I was working, so I was so annoyed. But I knew I wanted to make this one.’
The UK’s tenth Sephora follows on from the brand’s first Greater Manchester store, which opened inside the Trafford Centre last year.
Kait Turnbull brought her 10-year-old daughter Ruby who she called ‘beauty obsessed’. They woke up at 5am to arrive at 5:45am and even got stuck in the Arndale car park.
The mother said: ‘We got in and then because it’s so early and the shops aren’t open yet the lifts wouldn’t work and we were stuck.’
Ruby has previously visited the Trafford Centre Sephora store as well as the one in London. She said she is most looking forward to trying the new Sol de Janeiro fragrance – Sundays in Rio – and anything Tower 28.
Hundreds of people queued up for the opening of a Sephora in Manchester this morning
Kait joked: ‘I’m just the chauffeur and the credit card.’
The Sephora fan said she was most looking forward to securing a Charlotte Tilbury Contour Stick, but that she wanted to browse the whole store and didn’t know what she might end up with.
By 9am, there were 400 people in the queue which snaked across the ground floor of the Arndale shopping centre, and by 10am there were more than 500.
Michelle Kirkbride, from Doncaster, brought her daughter Jessica to the Sephora opening since they missed the store opening at Meadowhall – which would have been more local to them.
This will be the first Sephora store they have visited in the UK, with Jessica adding: ‘I want to look at everything.’
Jessica and Michelle have visited Sephora a few times in the US, including in New York and Florida, but they are excited to have one that’s more local and to be able to attend the opening day.
Throughout the morning, staff members handed out little samples and goodies to the committed beauty lovers, including makeup, skincare, Sephora-branded bucket hands, and giant fingers.
During the Trafford Centre store opening in May 2024, people waited in the queue all night to be the first through the doors to secure one of the goodie bags, which were set out for the first 800 shoppers.
Drag Queen Naya Thorn attended the UK’s tenth Sephora opening, which follows on from the brand’s first Greater Manchester store that opened inside the Trafford Centre last year
Michelle Kirkbride, from Doncaster, brought her daughter Jessica to the opening and it will be the first Sephora store they have visited in the UK
Queues of hundreds of people snaked around Manchester Arndale Shopping Centre for the opening
Don One, a Drag King, was also brought in to entertain the hundreds of shoppers who camped out for the opening
One pair at the very front of the line had been camping in the Manchester Arndale Shopping Centre since 8:50pm last night
For the Arndale opening, Sephora changed its approach, and customers were told the traditional ‘first in line’ model would be replaced with a new Sephora ‘Beauty Bonus Card’ mechanic, which would give more shoppers the chance to win.
Throughout the opening weekend, every customer who makes a purchase will receive a Beauty Bonus Card which will give shoppers the opportunity to win one of eight incredible prizes on the spot, including a Sephora goodie bag, a mystery lucky dip, free 30-minute makeup services plus more prizes.
The new store has taken over 4,618 square feet on the lower ground of the Arndale next to other beauty giant, Superdrug.
The unit used to be home to the H&M-owned fashion retailer, Monki, which shuttered back in January after occupying the space for almost seven years.
