The first Beauty 360 opened on November 3 at 1350 Connecticut Avenue NW (Dupont Circle) in Washington, D.C. The next location will open in early December at 25272 Marguerite Parkway in Mission Viejo, CA. Both locations will be adjacent to CVS/pharmacy stores and can be accessed via a breezeway as well as a separate store front entrance.

Drugstores’ traffic at stake

This strategy should help the beauty stores benefit from the drugstores’ traffic while proposing an entirely different shopping experience. Furthermore, Beauty 360 customers will also reap the benefits of the CVS/pharmacy ExtraCare program, the largest retail loyalty program in the world, with more than 50 million cardholders. ExtraCare members earn 2% back on all purchases in the form of "Extra Bucks," which can be used at either CVS/pharmacy or Beauty 360.

Services and advices

Service is key in the Beauty 360 business model. The stores are staffed with trained and licensed professionals offering a suite of brand-specific signature services including mini-manicures, express facials, hand massages and make-up application.

"Beauty 360 is the natural evolution of CVS/pharmacy’s leadership within the beauty category," said Mike Bloom, senior vice president of merchandising at CVS/pharmacy. "This new concept will redefine the beauty shopping experience by providing customers with access to prestige and niche beauty brands as well as an unparalleled level of service."

Beauty shopping experience at CVS/pharmacy. Beauty 360 aims to offer a very different upscale service.

The portfolio of brands launching in the first two Beauty 360 locations include: Dr. Brandt Skincare, Clean, PG Fragrance, Laura Geller, Coty Fragrance, Sampar, Paula Dorf, Elizabeth Arden Fragrance, Stendhal, Freeze, 24.7, It Cosmetics, StriVectin, Borba, Juicy Couture Fragrance, Supersmile, ModelCo, Japonesque, Talika, Canyon Ranch, Lavera, Zirh, Fusion Beauty, Me Bath, Pop Beauty, Blinc, Tini Beauty, Ahava, Bloom, Mineral Essence, Clarins Fragrance, Payot, Caron Paris, Perlier.

CVS/pharmacy also announced that more locations are being explored across the USA for 2009.