Sephora to open in Joliet’s J.C. Penney
By Cindy Wojdyla Cain ccain@stmedianetwork.com May 23, 2012 10:36PM
Sephora, a high-end beauty products retailer, will open a store at the Westfield Louis Joliet mall in August 2012. File photo | AP
Updated: July 3, 2012 8:42AM
JOLIET — Starting in August, the road to smoother skin, shinier hair and lusher lashes will be a shorter one for area women.
Sephora — a high-end beauty products retailer that is heaven for people who love to shop for the latest lotions, hair products and cosmetics — will open in the J.C. Penney store at the Westfield Louis Joliet mall in August.
Currently, the closest Sephora stores to Joliet is in Mokena. Others are in Aurora, Orland Park and Oak Brook.
Mark Strand, the store leader for J.C. Penney in Joliet, said the Sephora will be located between handbags and fine jewelry. A black curtain has been draped around the area since remodeling started a couple of weeks ago.
A grand opening is planned for Aug. 5.
“We’re really looking forward to it,” Strand said. “There seems to be quite a bit of pent-up demand in that area. We’ve had a lot of interest already.”
According to the Sephora website, the company was founded in France by Dominique Mandonnaud in 1970. Sephora is now owned by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy LVM, a luxury goods group.
Sephora has more than 800 stand-alone or mall-based stores worldwide. In 2006, the company began opening boutique Sephoras within J.C. Penney stores.
“These stores are smaller than a normal store with approximately 1,500 square feet but they are located in the center of the store and feature the signature Sephora look and beauty offering,” according to www.sephora.com.
Sephora now has more than 300 shops inside J.C. Penney stores.
