Beauty giant Sephora stays the course in Singapore, investing in store upgrades over expansion

[SINGAPORE] While other retailers may have scaled back in Singapore, beauty giant Sephora is taking the opposite route: refreshing its brick-and-mortar stores and hitting record sales.

The French cosmetics chain debuted in South-east Asia when it launched its retail store in Singapore at Ngee Ann City in 2008. In a span of eight years, it expanded to 11 stores located across the island, including in the suburban areas of Jurong and Woodlands.

The beauty retailer has since maintained its presence in the city-state, with the number of brick-and-mortar stores remaining stable, and overall square footage inching up after some outlets underwent revamps.