New Stores a Top Priority for Ulta Beauty

Ulta Beauty, Inc. added seven new stores, relocated two existing locations, remodeled three others and closed one store in the third quarter of fiscal 2021 ending Oct. 30 — giving the beauty brand 42 new stores, four relocated ones, eight remodeled shops and four closed locations for the year so far.

The new stores in the third quarter opened in Arden, North Carolina; Atlanta; Batavia, New York; Greensboro, North Carolina; Hickory, North Carolina; Ithaca, New York; and Johnstown, Pennsylvania. That gives Ulta 1,302 stores and 13.7 million square feet of space across the U.S. through the end of October 2021.

The real estate expansion was just one sign of a successful quarter for Ulta, which also grew its Ultamate Rewards loyalty program to 36 million members.

“This strong third-quarter performance reflects the strength and resiliency of the beauty category, the power of the Ulta Beauty differentiated model, and the impact of our winning culture and team,” said CEO Dave Kimbell in the company’s quarterly earnings announcement.

Ulta’s net sales increased 28.6% in Q3 to $2 billion, up from $1.6 billion one year earlier, driven by increased consumer confidence and fewer restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company’s comparable sales increased 25.8% from the third quarter of 2020 and 14.3% from 2019.

Ulta also updated its financial outlook for fiscal 2021, with net sales going from a range of $8.1 billion to $8.3 billion to a range of $8.5 billion to $8.6 billion.

Related news: DoorDash Offers Same-Day Ulta Beauty Delivery

Last month, Ulta announced a partnership with DoorDash in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston and Boise, Idaho, with plans to expand the collaboration across the U.S. in 2022.

Ulta Beauty shoppers in supported metro areas can get same-day delivery on more than 25,000 beauty products comprising cosmetics, skincare, haircare, fragrances and more.

In August, Target also debuted more than 100 Ulta Beauty at Target “shop-in-shops” in stores across the U.S., with plans to grow the network to 800 stores in the next several years.