Bluemercury Unveils New Store Format in Connecticut
After offering them to customers since the late ’90s, Bluemercury’s store in tony New Canaan, Conn., has had its own makeover.
The Macy’s-owned beauty chain revealed a new design and retail format at the reopening of the store that it has had since 2012, shaking up its previous approach to merchandising at that location.
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Anchoring the bright and airy location is a new center bar, the base of which is painted a dark navy blue shade, contrasting with the rest of the white-on-white store. This is where clients will be offered consultations, tutorials, new offerings and the chance to discover brands with Bluemercury’s in-store beauty experts.
The area of discovery on the center bar is called The Cache, Bluemercury’s initiative launched in October 2022 to bring in up-and-coming brands on the cutting edge of innovation. At the New Canaan location, Nasomatto, Vyrao, House of Bao and The Harmonist are currently on display, although this will be refreshed on a regular basis.
In addition to The Cache, there’s been a shift in the products on offer, with 65 new brands, 12 of which are new to Bluemercury nationwide.
This includes a bigger-than-ever focus on fragrance, with brands like D.S. & Durga, Baobob and Trudon. The two most popular brands in fragrance since re-opening have been D.S. & Durga and Tom Ford, according to a representative for Bluemercury.
Earlier this year, Bluemercury told WWD that fragrance has grown most since 2019.
Also on display in the fragrance section are giant candles by Baobab and Trudon, some of which weigh around 23 pounds. Both brands are available online, but Bluemercury New Canaan is the only brick-and-mortar location to carry them. And for those customers who purchase the 23-pound candles, they’ll be glad to know that there is available parking outside the store.
In skin care, Bluemercury has brought in an enhanced selection of dermatological skin care solutions from brands like SkinMedica and Obagi, catering to increased consumer demand in this area. In body care, Aesop and Cerulean 6° join the fray.
There’s also a hair tools and face tools playground where clients can try first to determine the best styling tools and accessories for their hair.
At the back of the store is the newly redesigned spa, complete with HigherDOSE Full Spectrum Infrared Sauna. The treatment rooms’ offerings will include signature facials from M-61 Skincare and brand partners such as Obagi, ReVive, SkinCeuticals and SkinMedica.
Bluemercury was founded in 1999 by Marla Malcolm Beck and Barry J. Beck in Washington, D.C., and sold to Macy’s in 2015 for $210 million. It has a total of 178 store locations across the U.S.
The New Canaan store will serve as a test-and-learn location for new experiences, formats and services.
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