Sales at the beauty shop-in-shops fell for the second straight quarter, and the department store expects that to continue for the rest of the year.
Sephora at Kohl’s has been contributing about 10% of the department store’s topline, and until recently, has contributed to its growth, according to Fitch Ratings research.
This was Kohl’s 18th straight quarter of declining comps, though it was the best performance since Q3 2021, per GlobalData research. Private labels, a major focus of improvement, delivered 3% comp growth.
Kohl’s CEO Michael Bender said that, at Sephora at Kohl’s, a lack of fresh products, plus some weakness in areas of the beauty category, were largely responsible for the change in fortune. Fragrance, hair care and makeup were strong, but “skin care had a challenging quarter,” he told analysts on a Wednesday morning call.
“We expect the softer performance we've seen year to date to persist until we can reach full scale with new brands and cycle through the headwinds from expanded distribution from a few of the bigger brands,” he said.
In the first half of the year, beauty has remained a strong category in the U.S. despite consumer wariness, driven by fragrance, skin care and “self-care focused products,” according to Circana research. Prestige beauty sales rose 7%, topping $17 billion, and mass retail also rose 7%, topping $39 billion.
“Longer term, we expect beauty to remain a contributor to comps at Kohl’s due to inherent strength in the beauty category and the benefits of its Sephora partnership,” Fitch Ratings Senior Director David Silverman told Retail Dive by email.
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