We visited Birmingham’s Bullring and found out what shoppers really want

A black-and-white striped haven of celebrity-owned brands and luxury products will soon grace Birmingham. This week, Sephora confirmed that its next UK store will open in the city’s biggest shopping centre, the Bullring.

The store, which has branches in London and Manchester, is slated for a “winter 2024” launch, but an exact opening date remains unannounced. The store will occupy a spacious 4,925 square meter unit on the upper level of the Arena, replacing the former Victoria’s Secret store, which closed earlier this year.

Following the new store announcement, we visited the Bullring to gauge shoppers’ reactions to the upcoming Sephora store in Birmingham, see if their excitement matches the buzz online, and ask them what other stores they’d like to see in the mall.

Read more: Sephora confirms bullring store to open before Christmas

“I think the addition of Sephora is exactly what the Bullring has been missing,” said Chloe, 20, who did not want to give her last name but believes the Bullring should attract more stores that are usually found in London, such as women’s clothing store Brandy. Melville.

Yaz Rehman, a food social media creator who heard about the upcoming Sephora on Instagram, said he would like to see even more stores in the Bullring that are only available in London, especially restaurants like “Shake Shack”.

Stephanie Cingari, 31, said the addition of Sephora to the Arena will make the mall more of an “exciting experience.” But she added that she would also like to see “& Other Stories” and “Uniqlo” open in the mall.

In recent months, new stores have opened in the Arena de Tauri. Many shoppers noted that the opening of Cinnabon brought an exciting addition to the mall.

“I can’t wait for Sephora,” said Lama Sallout, 33, as she waited for her Cinnabon. Growing up in the Middle East, where she said the makeup store is very popular, Sallout feels the new store will be a comforting reminder of home. She said she’s also glad “Cinnabon” opened and would also like to see a “Karen Millen” open in the choir arena in the future.

Alexis Ramos, who was born in Spain, where there are more than 50 Sephora stores, said she loves the brand and would like to see other international makeup brands like “Duri Cosmetics” open in the mall.

The 24-year-old added: “I’m so excited about Sephora, I can’t wait. I hope it comes soon. I love Sephora.” She said she was excited at the prospect of being able to buy high-quality makeup at a cheaper price, adding: “You can find something high-end for a lot cheaper because Sephora has a lot of deals.”

Many shoppers echoed those sentiments, noting that Sephora offers a more affordable option for branded make-up compared to Selfridges, the Bullring’s current go-to for a wide selection of high-end make-up concessions. They said the new store will likely attract a younger demographic to the chorus arena, such as the viral 9-14-year-olds dubbed “Sephora kids” who flooded Sephora stores last year.

“At the moment you’d go to Selfridges, but there are a lot of brands there that are too expensive, especially for younger ages,” said one shopper, who preferred not to be named.

She added that she would like to see more affordable brands in the youth arena like “Stradivarius”. Others said they would like to see more independent stores open.

But while their suggestions for new stores varied, Birmingham shoppers seemed to agree on one thing: they “can’t wait” for Sephora.