Feb. 4 (UPI) -- High-end makeup retailer Sephora announced Tuesday it will open 100 new stores in North America this year as part of a new focus to expand beyond typical shopping mall atmospheres.
The new locations will more than double the number of openings last year and represents the largest single-year North American expansion in the retailer's history.
Louis Vuitton-owned Sephora said it will open stores in more than 75 cities, including Nashville, Charlotte, N.C., and San Jose, Calif., and will be centered around local neighborhoods and communities.
"We love our stores in malls ... but the focus on this next 100 is more off-mall locations," Jeff Gaul, Sephora Americas senior vice president, told CNBC. "We are getting closer to where she lives and works, where she does most of her errands ... where she can pull right up and grab something."
The company said the new locations will be smaller to allow Sephora to have more of a local presence. They will also feature a new studio for skin and beauty services, and they will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy.
Sephora now has more than 2,500 locations globally, including mini stores at J.C. Penney department stores.
The planned expansion is part of new leadership from Sephora Americas President and CEO Jean Andre Rougeot, who joined the company a year ago.
