In September, LOOKFANTASTIC brought beauty home by opening the doors of its first-ever concept store in Altrincham. Offering over 90 beauty brands in store, customers can also enjoy treatments from the world’s first Color Wow salon, attend monthly beauty pop-ups, and get advice from in-store beauty experts. Bridging the gap between its online community with the success of various pop-up events, LOOKFANTASTIC’s move to the high-street perfectly enhances its omnichannel strategy. The immersive retail space not only offers exclusive products but also puts retail back into the hands of the local community.   

We spoke to Ben Hardcastle, Growth Director- Beauty, who shares the inspiration behind creating the store and the importance of community building in retail. 

Can you share what inspired building the new LF store and the decision behind bringing LF into the physical retail space?  

In recent years, we have become more & more community first in our thinking. The intention was to bring LOOKFANTASTIC to life for the community in a physical way to deepen our connection with our customers. The strategy was also to create something that we could take forward into other locations. 

How does this concept store align with LOOKFANTASTIC’s overall brand vision and strategy?  

The core pillars of the LOOKFANTASTIC strategy are in Curation, Brand, Community & Experience. Our curation strategy is focused on the brands we are famous for, the products those brands are famous for & what we recommend. 

Omnichannel is a central part of our brand pillar making LOOKFANTASTIC more than a URL for the consumer. When we think community, we are very much local in our thinking on how we engage with those around us & make the space an inviting and informative proposition for those visiting. We will elevate our experience with the consumer through our expertise & access to both skin services & the world’s first Color WOW blow dry bar. 

Can you describe the choices behind the design and layout of the new store? What unique features can customers expect?  

We wanted to create a welcoming environment that invited our customers to engage with beauty on their own terms. Our category navigation is driven by colour around the store to help guide the shopping journey & our expert staffing model is there to support education & guided choice first.  

One of the new unique elements of the store is the new concept for The BOX which allows our customers trial prestige beauty in a new, engaging & accessible way. The Beauty Bar & our event spaces also offer our partners environments where they can bring their brand to life for the community & have been hugely successful for those partners using them to date. 

How does the store aim to enhance the customer shopping experience compared to traditional retail spaces?  

As mentioned before our staffing model is service & education first. Our aim is to provide our community with the right information for them to make the best choices possible. Our desire is to become known as an environment for advice in our consumers beauty journey. 

How important do you think community building is for the future of retail, and how does the Altrincham community influence the store’s offerings and events?  

Community building is central to our macro brand strategy and Altrincham is no different. Through the launch phase we have engaged with local businesses, community groups & influencers to connect with the local community. This will continue to be a central part of our ongoing strategy & we are currently working on an exciting project for next year bringing local influencer brands to life within the store. 

What were some of the biggest challenges faced during the planning and opening of the store?  

Every day was a new learning experience with new challenges to overcome. Fighting through those moments & finding a way forward was important. Here are some key learnings & thoughts for future projects:  

• Define a clear vision at the start for what you want to achieve & check in on it frequently. Are you moving toward what you wanted to achieve and is it better?  
• Define the functions you need to support & make sure they are kept engaged throughout. Check in frequently with all stakeholders (internal / external) to ensure you are front of mind. Make sure people are aware of why what they are doing is important & set clear deadlines.  
• We were lucky to have the opportunity to lean on experts from across the business throughout the project.  
• Strive for greatness & not perfection. Don’t get too caught up in too many of the details or progress will be slow.