Nestled inside the J.C. Penney store at Hamilton Place mall lies a new surprise for women in need of a quick, upscale way to try and buy new makeup.
Sephora, a Paris-based brand that has built more than 250 stores in the U.S. and Canada since its 1998 North American launch, was founded in 1969 and has launched more than 193 of its store-within-a-store concepts in a partnership with J.C. Penney, the company says.
Today's grand opening at the 1,500-square-foot beauty shop will offer a free makeup bag stuffed with some of Sephora's 50 brands to the first 750 customers, said Megan Klicke, operation manager at the new eight-employee store.
"We have every type of makeup application available, and we have hygiene stations for folks to try before they buy, as well as makeup consultations," Ms. Klicke said. "We also offer a 10-minute express service for free to customers who want assistance with a product."
She said that combing Sephora's everything-under-one-roof approach with J.C. Penney's existing customer base should result in financial success for the new store, which is part of a wave of 20 launched nationwide by the company in April.
"We want to be the number one shopping destination for makeup and skin-care products in the Chattanooga area," Ms. Klicke added.
The company's successful partnership with J.C. Penney has been part of an overall effort to widen the reach of Sephora, and help J.C. Penney move upmarket by appealing to brand-conscious customers, according to Stephen Fields, assistant store manager for J.C. Penney's Hamilton Place location.
"This is part of a bigger strategy," he said. "J.C. Penney has tried to shed the dowdy commodity stuff from years past, and this is part of a bigger push to bring in customers who are more sensitive to fashion."
While J.C. Penney has been busy stocking its clothing racks with lines from Cindy Crawford, Nicole Miller and Charlotte Ronson, among other popular designers, Sephora brings in close to 50 additional brands that are popular with younger demographics.
"We've had a lot of buzz. I had never heard of Sephora before we got the store in here, but if you have two X chromosomes, than this gets you excited," Mr. Fields said. "In addition to increased sales, we anticipate increased cross-shopping in the store, and we may take some best-practices from Sephora and use them outside."
The new addition comes on the heels of J.C. Penney's remodeling in the first half of 2007, which freshened the store's look and feel.
"I would have to think the Chattanooga market is getting more sophisticated, and this is a reflection of that," Mr. Fields said.