M&S and Sephora Partner to Target new Generation of Shoppers

Marks & Spencer (M&S) has announced a strategic partnership with Sephora as part of its push to target younger consumers. 

The partnership is set to launch in M&S stores and on the M&S website in spring 2027, and has been designed to offer customers a wider range of beauty brands and a stronger specialist experience in beauty. 

“We’re transforming Fashion, Home and Beauty at M&S, creating a better experience for our customers and building a more efficient, more profitable business,” says John Lyttle, Managing Director, Fashion, Home & Beauty at M&S. “Our new partnership with Sephora is the next step in this transformation.  

“Beauty is an important category for M&S, with the potential to attract new customers to shop with us and give existing customers the opportunity to shop with us more often.  

“Our partnership with Sephora will sit at the heart of our future beauty offer, combining Sephora’s specialist expertise with the strength of the M&S brand, our store estate and our growing digital platform. 

“Alongside this, we will continue investing in our own-label Beauty categories where we have established strength and customer trust.” 

Sephora’s UK growth

This is the next step for Sephora’s UK growth, with the beauty retailer having opened its first physical store in the UK in 2023. 

Through the partnership, customers will have access to a “carefully curated” mix of established beauty products, emerging brands and exclusive offerings across skincare, makeup, fragrance, haircare and bodycare. 

“Since bursting on to the scene in the UK, we have always believed that becoming part of the communities we serve means more than simply opening stores and having a great online experience,” says Sarah Boyd, Managing Director of Sephora UK. 

“We have taken a deliberately local approach to every city we enter, from celebrating local culture and creators to tailoring our opening moments and marketing to reflect the people who live there. 

“This personalisation has been a huge part of our success thus far, and now partnering with M&S, a brand so trusted, loved and deeply ingrained in British life is not just a great honour and privilege, but also an extremely exciting next step in our expansion journey.”

Attracting younger audiences

The partnership between M&S and Sephora falls as part of M&S’s efforts in recent years to attract younger audiences and shift away from its historical reputation as a brand exclusively for older generations. 

This has come with an increased social media push – with the company’s investment in social content rising 79% year-on-year in 2024 – and targeted brand activations. 

In September, M&S took part in its first-ever London Fashion Week, featuring many looks under £50 (US$66), with styles that were available to buy immediately after the show.

Commenting on the brand’s London Fashion Week debut, Stuart Machin, CEO of M&S, said: “Our transformation is building the business we want to be tomorrow, but it starts with our heritage: ‘Protect the magic, Modernise the rest’ means protecting what has made M&S special for 100 years and putting fantastic products at the heart of everything we do. 

“Our first London Fashion Week collection is designed around that DNA; fashion that is stylish but wearable, made with outstanding quality and always value for money. This is a collection built on our heritage but brought bang up to date.”

Who are M&S’s key partners? 

• Tata Consultancy Services (TCS): TCS continues to serve as M&S’s strategic technology partner as the retailer embeds its technology transformation.
• Microsoft: M&S and Microsoft share a long-term strategic partnership that began in 2018 and expanded in March 2026 with a rollout of 11,000 Microsoft 365 Copilot licences for staff.
• Sephora: M&S and Sephora are partnering to bring Sephora’s beauty offering to M&S stores across the UK.
• Google: M&S partners with Google across cloud infrastructure, AI-driven product data and advanced digital marketing campaigns.