LOOKFANTASTIC launches permanent concept store in Greater Manchester

LOOKFANTASTIC, the online pure-play prestige beauty retailer, has announced the grand opening of its first ever concept store, bringing LOOKFANTASTIC from URL to IRL and redefining retail as community-driven and educational.

Building on the success of its popular events and pop-ups, LOOKFANTASTIC’s concept store brings the online beauty world to life. The space is designed to educate customers about the brands, and products through the in-real-life experience.

From the launch of the world’s first Color Wow salon in-store, everything about the store is centred around its passion to guide and excite customers. The vibrant colour-coded zoning system guides shoppers through different product categories. From skincare to fragrance, every corner tells a story. The iconic ‘The Box’ beauty box service is brought to life in-store, allowing customers to curate their own personalised collections.

Key features of the LOOKFANTASTIC Concept Store:

• Over 90 Beauty brands with LOOKFANTASTIC, including exclusives such as Dermatologist-founded brand, Dr Loretta.
• Democratised expertise, and access to expert advice from industry insiders and multi-brand specialists.
• In-Store beauty experts, including dedicated skin health professionals.
• Beauty services with a range of treatments from the world’s first Color Wow salon and Dermalogica.
• Monthly beauty pop-ups, featuring exciting collaborations, new launches, and limited-edition products.
• Recycling station, supporting LOOKFANTASTIC’s commitment to sustainability
• The Beauty Bar, a dedicated space for beauty services, events, and social experiences.
• Leisure destination: customers can expect beauty brunch events and more.
• Instead of traditional product window displays, the store has a Spotlight Stage, located at the front of the store for creative and experiential pop-ups beyond pure product – launching with Color Wow, and alternating monthly.
• Inclusive shopping, with dedicated ‘quiet hours’ for customers seeking a calmer environment. From October, the store will offer an inclusive ‘quiet hour’ on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:30 – 10:30am.
• Weekly beauty events, a calendar of events to engage and inspire.
• Dog-friendly, a welcoming space for both humans and their furry friends

Designed in collaboration with Household agency, the Altrincham concept store is a bold departure from traditional beauty halls. It offers a relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere, inviting both beauty enthusiasts and newcomers to explore and discover.

Felicity Goodenough, Design Director at Household, says: “We’ve absolutely loved collaborating with LOOKFANTASTIC as they step through the screen to build a community of brand fans and beauty enthusiasts IRL. The LOOKFANTASTIC store is reimagining beloved digital offers like The Beauty Box as iconic IRL experiences, launching exclusive services, and creating dedicated stages for the biggest and most coveted beauty brands to pop-up and activate without limitations. It’s been a joy to design a new kind of multi-brand beauty space where unfiltered faces, unbiased expertise, and uninhibited vibe are celebrated.”.

Lucy Gorman, CEO of THG Beauty, adds: “We’re excited to bring the LOOKFANTASTIC experience to life with our concept store, offering our loyal community incredible exclusives they won’t be able to find anywhere else. This innovative retail space goes beyond products, offering a unique and immersive beauty destination. It perfectly complements our omnichannel strategy, bridging the gap between our established online community and the success of our pop-up events.

Community is at the heart of everything we do, and we’re delighted customers will be able to discover and purchase while also enjoying beauty services, bringing digital beauty into the third dimension for our loyal, local customer base in a new way. “

To celebrate the grand opening on Friday 27^th September 2024, the first 100 customers will receive an exclusive limited edition LOOKFANTASTIC gift bag valued at £300, filled with products from iconic brands like NARS, Sol de Janeiro, Elemis, and Laneige.