For beauty shoppers, where a favorite brand is sold can be almost as important as what’s on the shelves. The right store can make it easier to discover new products, get advice from a beauty specialist, or pick up an item during a routine shopping trip.
Now, a major beauty retailer is expanding its reach through a new retail partnership that could put its products in front of more shoppers.
The move comes as retailers look for new ways to strengthen their beauty businesses and give customers more reasons to visit their stores.
Founded in 1969, Sephora is one of the world’s largest prestige beauty retailers and is owned by LVMH. Sephora has continued expanding its retail network and omnichannel business, with LVMH reporting sustained organic revenue growth at Sephora during the first half of 2026.
In 2020, Sephora partnered with Kohl’s to create Sephora shop-in-shops inside the department store’s locations. The partnership had expanded to more than 1,100 Kohl’s stores by the end of fiscal 2025, although sales at Sephora at Kohl’s declined during the first and second quarters of 2026.
Now, Sephora is teaming up with another major retailer to bring its beauty assortment into more physical stores.
Sephora partners with M&S to bring its products inside stores
Sephora has partnered with Marks & Spencer (M&S) to launch Sephora at M&S in select stores and on its e-commerce platform beginning in spring 2027.
The companies plan to expand the shop-in-shop concept to 100 M&S stores across the U.K. The locations will feature Sephora’s curated beauty assortment and specialist Beauty Advisors, providing customers with access to product recommendations and beauty expertise within M&S stores.
The assortment will span skin care, makeup, fragrance, hair care, and body care, with a mix of established beauty brands, emerging names, and select Sephora exclusives.
M&S’s online store will offer a broader selection, with home delivery and Click & Collect available from M&S stores nationwide. The companies said the final brand lineup will be confirmed closer to launch, including brands new to M&S and select Sephora exclusives.
Specific locations for the Sephora shop-in-shops had not been announced as of Sept. 30.
M&S said the partnership is designed to attract new customers while giving existing shoppers more reasons to visit its stores more frequently.
“We’re transforming Fashion, Home and Beauty at M&S, creating a better experience for our customers and building a more efficient, more profitable business,” M&S Managing Director of Fashion, Home & Beauty John Lyttle said in the company’s announcement.
“Our new partnership with Sephora is the next step in this transformation. Beauty is an important category for M&S, with the potential to attract new customers to shop with us and give existing customers the opportunity to shop with us more often.”
Why Sephora is partnering with M&S
The partnership comes as M&S looks to strengthen its beauty business, while Sephora continues building its presence in the U.K.
The U.K. beauty market was worth £5.2 billion and grew 1.2% year over year in the 52 weeks to July 19, 2026, according to WorldPanel by Numerator.
M&S held a 1.3% share of the beauty market during the 12 weeks ending July 19.
In its full-year results for the 52 weeks ended March 28, 2026, M&S reported that overall statutory revenue increased 25% year over year, although Fashion, Home & Beauty sales declined 7.7%.
The company said performance was affected by disruptions during the year and identified growth in the division as a priority going forward.
M&S has been investing in its broader Fashion, Home & Beauty transformation, including improvements in supply chain, online shopping experience, and product offering. The company also said it has more than 100 third-party brands across its business.
For Sephora, the partnership provides another way to expand its U.K. reach through an established store network rather than relying exclusively on stand-alone locations.
LVMH reported that Sephora recorded sustained organic revenue growth during the first half of 2026, while its Selective Retailing business grew 5% organically. The company also said Sephora continued to gain market share in many countries and expand its retail network.
Sephora President of Europe and the Middle East Catherine Spindler said the company has been adapting its retail model to different markets through its digital platform, app, large-format stores, and boutique concepts that debuted in London in the summer of 2026.
“Our UK launch has been such a huge success that we wanted to go further and faster,” said Spindler in the M&S announcement.
“Our partnership with M&S is the next evolution of this strategy, introducing a retail model that complements our existing formats and allows us to build on the strength of the Sephora brand in the UK.”
She added that combining Sephora’s beauty expertise with M&S’s retail infrastructure would create another way for customers to access the Sephora experience.
Beauty retailers are turning to shop-in-shops
The Sephora-M&S deal also comes as major retailers continue experimenting with shop-in-shop models to expand their beauty offerings and reach customers through established store networks.
Sephora’s partnership with Kohl’s is one example. In its latest annual filing, Kohl’s reported 855 full-size Sephora shops and 294 smaller-format locations at the end of fiscal 2025.
Here’s some of my previous coverage on Beauty Business News:
- Luxury retailer exits beauty business and ends major partnership
- Why fashion retailers are banking on beauty to boost growth
- 12-year-old beauty brand closing nearly all stores
The companies share operating profits from the arrangement, while Kohl’s manages inventory and capital expenditures for the shops.
But the partnership has encountered more recent challenges. Sales at Sephora at Kohl’s fell in the first and second quarters of 2026, according to the company’s financial statements.
Another major beauty shop-in-shop partnership is also changing. Ulta Beauty (ULTA) partnered with Target (TGT) in 2021 to launch Ulta Beauty shop-in-shops in hundreds of stores nationwide.
The arrangement ended in August 2026, after the two companies had operated the format for several years.
The evolving partnerships show how major retailers are using shop-in-shop formats to expand their beauty offerings and reach consumers.
For M&S and Sephora, the new partnership will bring Sephora’s beauty assortment and specialist expertise to more M&S locations beginning in spring 2027, while also extending the offering to M&S’s online shoppers.
Related: Ulta joins forces with new partner after Target breakup
