Target will roll out a new in-store beauty concept called Target Beauty Studio in more than 600 stores starting September 10, replacing the retailer's ended partnership with Ulta Beauty as part of a broader push to reverse stubborn sales declines.
The retailer plans to stock more than 1,600 products from 90 brands inside the redesigned spaces, and two-thirds of those brands will be new to Target shelves. Skincare, haircare, K-Beauty cosmetics, fragrances, and suncare lines will anchor the assortment, with names ranging from Sunday Riley and First Aid Beauty to lesser-known labels like the Mexican beauty brand SARELLY and French nailcare line Manucurist.
Each studio will feature a center display table, product-testing stations, and curated picks organized under labels like "Editors' Picks," "Most Loved," and "Standouts of the Season." On-site Beauty Advisors will staff the areas. Amanda Nusz, Target's Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Essentials and Beauty, framed the concept as a destination for both loyal shoppers and browsers, telling PR Newswire:
"When guests shop for beauty, they want to pick up their standbys while also exploring what's new and trending, and Target Beauty Studio is designed with that mix in mind."
The announcement lands at a moment when Target can least afford a misstep. The company needs foot traffic, and a reason for shoppers to linger.
Target's beauty overhaul does not exist in a vacuum. The Minneapolis-based retailer has posted declining or flat comparable-store sales in 11 of its last 13 quarters. The most recent quarter showed a 2.5 percent drop in comparable-store sales, a streak that forced leadership changes and a sweeping investment plan.
New CEO Michael Fiddelke unveiled a $2 billion capital and operational spending commitment aimed at reversing the slide. That money will fund 30 new store openings, 130 store remodels, updated merchandise, worker investments, and artificial-intelligence tools, AP News reported. Fiddelke cast the effort in blunt terms.
"This is a new chapter, and it's all about growth. We'll do so by playing our own game and making big changes to delight our guests."
Target projects net sales will grow roughly 2 percent for the full year, to approximately $106.88 billion, a figure slightly above Wall Street expectations. Shares rose 6.8 percent on the outlook. But optimistic guidance does not erase the fact that customers have been walking past Target's doors for the better part of three years.
The Beauty Studio concept fills a gap left by the termination of Target's partnership with Ulta Beauty. That arrangement had placed Ulta-branded mini shops inside select Target locations, giving the retailer a ready-made prestige beauty offering without having to build one from scratch. The partnership ended, Target has not publicly detailed the reasons, and now the company is betting it can do the job itself.
Nusz described the new studios as more than a shelf reset.
"It's an inspiring destination to discover what's new, now and next in beauty, and a powerful example of how our merchandising authority comes to life through an elevated guest experience."
Whether that "authority" translates into sales depends on execution. Stocking 1,600 products from 90 brands, most of them unfamiliar to the average Target shopper, is a merchandising gamble. Brands like Bondi Boost, Briogeo, Joico, and Nioxin in haircare, or Amuse, Kaja, and Rom&nd in K-Beauty cosmetics, carry loyal followings online but have limited brick-and-mortar exposure. Target is wagering that discovery-minded beauty shoppers will treat its stores the way they treat a Sephora or an Ulta, browsing, testing, and buying on impulse.
Target's plan to place Beauty Advisors in the studios marks a shift toward a higher-service retail model. Most Target departments operate on a self-service basis. Adding dedicated staff to guide customers through skincare routines or fragrance selections costs money, payroll, training, scheduling, and the retailer will need those advisors to drive enough incremental sales to justify the expense.
The studios will also carry what Target calls "mini assortments," though the company has not disclosed whether that refers to travel-size products, sample kits, or smaller curated collections. Price ranges for the overall product lineup remain unspecified.
Fragrance brands Lake & Skye, Boy Smells, and Smooch will sit alongside suncare lines Bask and Dune, self-tanning brands Peta Jane Beauty and Tan-Luxe, and styling-accessory labels Slickhair, Machete, and Slip. K-Beauty skincare entries include Dr.Melaxin, Purito Seoul, and Sungboon Editor.
That is a wide net. The question is whether a shopper who walked in for paper towels and laundry detergent will stop long enough to test a Korean serum she has never heard of.
Target has not disclosed which specific cities or states will receive the Beauty Studios at launch. More than 600 locations is a substantial rollout, Target operates roughly 1,950 stores nationwide, but it still leaves more than half the chain without the new concept. Whether the remaining locations will eventually get studios, or whether Target will wait to see sales data before expanding, remains an open question.
The September 10 launch date puts the studios in place just ahead of the fall shopping season and well before the holiday rush. If the concept gains traction, it could provide a meaningful traffic boost during Target's most important sales quarter. If it flops, it becomes another expensive experiment in a turnaround plan that has yet to prove itself.
Target has spent three years watching customers drift away. A prettier beauty aisle is a start, but no amount of curated skincare fixes a retailer that has lost the habit of giving people a reason to show up.