Just barely 1.5 years after its opening, and just almost a year after I visited the Sephora Hong Kong store, I discover its to close its doors soon – by the end of March 2010. (Online source and Twitter)
Apparently there are discounts going up to 70% off the products in Sephora Hong Kong so if you are heading there before end March 2010 or are in Hong Kong, now would be a good time to take advantage of this 😉
To be honest, I was not surprised at this piece of news. Sephora Hong Kong was a disappointment to me. In fact, having walked into Sephora Hong Kong and Sephora Ion Orchard Singapore numerous times, I’ve yet to buy anything from either of the stores. Perhaps I’m just a little jaded or perhaps the high prices of cult brands just put me off.
I’m expecting the closure is to do with the opening of a store in Mainland China soon – Hong Kong is just too saturated already. Beauty stores are available at every corner – Sephora is not unique. Mainland China on the other hand is a much larger market as everyone knows. Sell 1 lipstick to every woman in 1 city in China and you are an instant millionaire many times over.
I’ll be interested to see if this will mean that Sephora will not enter Malaysia too. Rumours were that they were slated for a space in a local shopping mall but till now things are pretty quiet on that front.
Personally though, I feel the market here isn’t big enough to support a Sephora store. Malaysians just aren’t THAT into beauty specialty stores and we already have Sasa stores and department stores’ beauty halls that are probably only just getting by. This is even more so with Singapore so close by where there are already 2 Sephora stores there within walking distance of each other. Might this shrinkage also mean that Singapore will end up with just 1 Sephora store?
Let’s sit back and watch shall we? 🙂
Paris B
Well, for me, Sasa and Sephora has no real difference, because they carry the same products, other than Two Faced, Burts’ Bees and whatnot. And yes, it is true that Malaysian ladies are not THAT into beauty stores as well. What we really need is for the brands that we do not have to come into our shores independantly, and not anchored to a giant like Sephora or Sasa. Which means Urban Decay coming alone, or id. Bare Escentuals, sometime later. Now that, I want to see happen.
Actually I believe Bare Escentuals is available at Shins 🙂 From what I understand, it might be easier for brands to enter a market through an intermediary e.g. Sasa, Sephora or a distributor willing to take them up. So while having a Sephora store might be fun, I think we are all pretty much spoilt here in Asia where beauty stores are pretty common already so Sephora is just another name 🙂
I was at Sephora in HK 2 weeks ago. It was kinda small and not so many selections. I personally think HK doesn’t need Sephora. They’ve Faces and Sasa is (almost) in every corner you turn! 😀
Precisely! That might be the reason they are closing too LOL
I’m in Singapore, and I am finding myself shopping more at the Sephora Ion than I thought I would. The big difference here is the loyalty program where for every $240 you spend, you get $40 in vouchers to spend on certain brands.
Granted this loyalty program is just a trial run and ends at the end of the month, but it’s definitely made me transfer making my MAC purchases here rather than at other MAC outlets. Which does bring up the point that there are 5 MAC counters (Ngee Ann City/Sephora Ion/Tangs/Isetan Scotts/DFS Scotts) within 10 mins walking distance of each other, but that doesn’t keep MAC from selling out of LE collections quickly!
I’ve also been impressed with the fact that the Urban Decay at Sephora hasn’t been priced too crazy over the US$ prices, not any more than say MAC is anyways, and the Sephora house brand sometimes even comes in cheaper than the US depending on the item.
Ugh, I’m sounding like I’m shilling for Sephora, but all I really meant to say is that I’ve been decently impressed by Sephora at the end of the day.
Thanks for your input Stickles! Its nice to know how someone with access to Sephora actually thinks of it. How would it influence you otherwise if the loyalty program was no longer in place though? Might you still shop there or will you shop at the department stores where I’m sure you also have loyalty cards? I guess thats the balance the store has to strike 😉
The loyalty program definitely makes a difference for me, as I would otherwise save just under 10% if I bought via my store-brand credit card. Back in North America, I found the Beauty Insider program to be not bad either, so I can see Sephora running something more long-term here, even if it takes a slightly different format than vouchers.
I’m also glad that it now carries Urban Decay. I was totally stoked to be able to pick up the Alice in Wonderland palette directly in Singapore, even though it was marked up to about US$63 (whereas it was $52 in the US) it was still an awesome steal. There are also a couple of other perks that I still like, namely the Sephora warehouse sales (where I discovered that Too Faced makes some excellent lippies, even moreso at half-price, and that Bliss has pretty good bath products also when you don’t have to spend a crapload).
Ideally I’d buy from the US, but the cross-border intermediaries and sprees I find to be more hassle than they’re worth, so I like being able to test and buy.
Generally, there’s a time and place to hit Sephora vs department store counters for me, and the Ion one is way better for product selection and brands than the first location, and I do prefer it to Sasa (where I find the SAs follow me around like a thief).
If you’re ever back in SG, I highly recommend the house-brand Flashy Liners in Mauve and Pink, those have long been my HG for lower waterlining since they open up Asian eyes!
That is awesome information 🙂 Thanks for sharing your experience and perhaps the next time I drop by Sephora I’d pick something up 😉 Thing is, they had the loyalty programme in HK too. Maybe people in HK are just spoilt for choice 😉 It would be nice to hear from someone in HK who can share 🙂
I didn’t get anything from Sephora either. Guess I’m too spoiled by US prices!
Haha… I guess in my case I’m just a little fussy
If one could find the channel to buyin from the US, they won’t have any need to get it from Sephora..but I reckon it’ll be awesome to walk into one and admire the items upclose 😀 But if they were to open one here, the same fate would occur as many M’sians aren’t into cosmetics much and most prefer to buy the el-cheapo ones that you see in accessories shop or by one of those direct selling ones.
I wanna step into one and it’s coming true this weekend: I’m off to S’pore in 2 weeks’ time!-can’t u hear my heart rate’s rising 😉
Really? Malaysians aren’t into cosmetics? Ok… and what direct selling brands do they buy from?
Well, if u were to look carefully, many do not wear makeup. Either they think its unnatural, time consuming or simply do not want to, thus they shy away. Though we see more women taking up to cosmetics, it’s not a very significant in the society. (I worked at a cosmetic company previously before joining health sciences)
Brands..i’m not sure of the names but they pop up in those booklets. Price-wise, it’s cheaper but I daren’t buy. Scared about putting these things on my face.
Ah, how true are your words. hahhahaha. But my mom has always seen it through a moral standpoint, ie, cosmetics is for, erm, escorts, out of the work environment or formal events.
Hurrah! I hope you have fun in Singapore and in Sephora there 🙂 Go to the one in Ion Orchard – its large so more “exciting” 🙂
I visited Sephora when I was in Singapore last year, not very impressive. I thought it would be a huge, grand skin care and beauty paradise. I didn’t buy any, and I ended up shopping in Takashimaya instead.
December last year we strolled by Sephora Hong Kong, it was very disappointing. I enjoyed shopping at Sasa instead. Sasa is everywhere. I ended up buying beauty products and the like at Sogo, Sasa and HK Duty Free.
I get a little rush everytime I step into Sasa and Bonjour hehe… I think its all the Asian brands available in there that make it so much more exciting 🙂
There already are Sephora stores in Mainland China. Well, where I’m staying in Hangzhou, anyway. One on Yan’an Lu and another one on Hubin Lu.
Ooh thanks for the heads up! I wasn’t aware of that 🙂
Oh man!!! I haven’t even gotten the chance to visit it! Even just for a visit or window shopping! *sadness* 🙁 oh well, I do understand though, i’m sure even if Sephora would come down here in Manila, I’m sure the prices will be jacked up too!!!
There’s Singapore Nikki! 😀
aww. I haven’t even visited it yet and they are closing down. *sniff* I’ve been to the ION’s Sephora, didn’t catch anything in particular as well… maybe they should just stick to online biz. hehehe
You know what would be awesome? If Sephora would ship internationally. THAT would be a success I’m sure!
I think all of us were really disappointed about how Sephora decided not to fully import the U.S products, and merely pull all the brands under one roof. There are already numerous beauty halls along Orchard with all the same big brands (Shu, Clinique, Laneige etc). It’s all the same.
U.S products are really expensive due to import/shipping & tax in Singapore. But I guess, the population here is bigger on cosmetics, and have slightly deeper pockets.
Sephora is still surviving for now. But I have visited it many times on weekday afternoons. And the SAs there are all slapping mosquitoes.
Still, I’d cry if Sephora were to pull out of our shores. =(((((
I don’t see it happening for now actually. Pulling 2 Asian stores might send the wrong signals 🙂 Still, it will be interesting to see how Sephora is going to handle the Asian market 😀
By the way, I just want to add that brand does counts when it comes to things that matters, like gifting. haha. I admit, I went there to get a perfume, which I could have easily gotten from other departmental stores like Isetan, Takashimaya, or BHG. But I knew that if I went to Sephora, I get their free wrapping service. The wrapping is so classy and executive, compared to a Taka wrapping paper, which I have seen for some 15 years already, or the Isetan blue label on white background. It just doesn’t measures up to Sephora.
The other good comment is about the service. Their SOP is very different from normal departmental stores. They can walk you all around without complaints if you don’t buy. And allow you test every single thing that comes into fancy.
That’s exactly what happened in the UK! Too much competition from SpaceNK, Department Stores, and Boots!
I wish we had a place to buy MUFE in the UK, though!
You don’t get MUFE there? That sucks! We get it here but there isn’t much news on it. Its a pity coz its a great brand!
i am not surprised as i was very disappointed in sephora sinagpore both its products and CS. crap as hell. sephora will have to rethink how asians think about their mu. we want something unique not the big brands that we have here for ages already. and to be honest, our big brands are usually cheaper than that of the west. if it comes to malaysia (IF), then it will need us bloggers’ help to decide what can be sold. 😛
Haha… the problem is I think that bloggers tend to prefer cult brands which don’t translate well into the mainstream. Still, a variety of new and good brands will be good for Sephora to bring in, just not pull in all the major brands already existing, as Jyoan pointed out.
prices were too expensive @ singapore! it’s nice to look and touch but better for the pocket if we got a friend to buy it for us from the States… soo much cheaper!
Yes. Sephora really needs to do its market research in Asia. Sasa and Bonjour are already leading in the big brands market (Lancome, Estee Lauder, Clarins, etc) in HK. There is no way to compete with them.
In addition, the air travel traffic in Asia is really booming. Everybody here should have experience getting friends/relatives to bring back stuff for them from Hong Kong/Taiwan or just go for a short shopping trip holiday to buy those stuff.
So, they really need to bring in varied US products rather than compete head on with local departmental/beauty stores.
I have never bought a single thing in Sephoras in Singapore as well. The prices don’t appeal to me. I just go and see if there are things I want, test them out and I get them from ebay or wait till I go HK/Taiwan for work to get them.
Good thing I dragged my friends to Sephora when we were in Mongkok three weeks ago. The shelves were nearly empty, and almost all of the items were on sale. Grabbed 2 Nano eyeliners for only 10 HKD each. They retailed for 5 USD each, which was about 40 HKD. Also got a multipurpose sponge on impulse, for 20 HKD instead of 48 HKD.
Sephora all over China sucks!!!!! it has nothing nothing to offer, unless you are buying makeup and you buy sephora’s brand….yeah they have other makeup brands but does anyone think they have the merchandise NO !!!!! probably more than half of the colors they don’t have. Parfumes no problem!
compare to sephoras from the US and other countries China’s Sephora is just sad There are no brands that make you say Sephora is my # 1. I don’t even think the other stores that are in HK like SASA can really compare to a REAL Sephora!!! no way they all come out short…..
Why introduce sephora to the chinese market to sell LOREAL products? come on!
What a waste of space and in the mainland they will also go out of business because they aren’t giving anything special that I Chinese woman couldn’t get at her favorite store or mall….