Sephora Poised to Buy Britain’s Feelunique.com: Report
In a strategic move to deepen its footprint in the UK beauty market, Sephora is reportedly on the brink of acquiring Feelunique.com, Britain’s leading online prestige beauty retailer. According to The Sunday Times, the deal values Feelunique at approximately £132 million (around €153 million) (ww.fashionnetwork.com, britishbeautycouncil.com, Yahoo Tài Chính).
The potential acquisition was first revealed by WWD and subsequently confirmed by several outlets, noting that it would mark a pivotal step in Sephora’s European expansion strategy (Yahoo, cosmeticsbusiness.com).
Sephora, part of luxury conglomerate LVMH, has long been kept at bay in the UK by entrenched competitors like Boots. However, this move signals a renewed push — especially online — to connect with British consumers (Yahoo, Premium Beauty News).
Feelunique, established in 2005, has built a robust online presence. It offers over 35,000 skincare, makeup, fragrance, and beauty product SKUs from around 800 brands, shipping to more than 120 countries and serving some 1.3 million active customers (cosmeticsbusiness.com, Premium Beauty News, Yahoo). The platform has especially strong appeal to Millennial and Gen Z shoppers and recently posted encouraging financials following a bounce-back from a £5 million loss in 2020 (cosmeticsbusiness.com, Premium Beauty News).
For Sephora, the acquisition solves two longstanding issues: it fills the void in the UK—where Sephora shuttered its stores in the early 2000s—and it bolsters its digital reach through a respected local brand with a ready-made customer base (Yahoo, cosmeticsbusiness.com, Premium Beauty News).
Terms of the agreement remain private, and the transaction is said to be subject to regulatory approval and final shareholder consent (Premium Beauty News, TheIndustry.beauty, ww.fashionnetwork.com). If finalized, the deal is positioned to close in the second half of 2021 (Yahoo, Premium Beauty News).
Bottom line: Sephora’s rumored buyout of Feelunique represents a major leap into the UK digital prestige beauty scene—with both brands well-positioned to leverage each other’s strengths.
