Other than books, Barnes & Noble sells a variety of tablets, toys, games, and accessories. Now they’re adding a new category: beauty products. Barnes & Noble College, a BN Education company, is launching a new in-store beauty section appropriately called “The Glossary” for some of their locations. Here are the details:
What is it?
“The Glossary” is a new section of certain Barnes and Noble stores that will offer all kinds of beauty, makeup, skincare, and hair care products. It’s not its own store, but rather an addition to existing stores.
It will offer a mix of high-end brands (Bliss, Philosophy, Smashbox, Lipstick Queen) and drugstore brands (Covergirl, Maybelline, Burt’s Bees).
“The Glossary” will be set up similarly to major beauty store Sephora, with testers and makeup remover available among the products.
Barnes & Noble
Where is it?
Currently, “The Glossary” will only be available on college campuses. As of now, they have been implemented in Emory University, Southern Methodist University, Tulane University, and the College of William & Mary. There are plans for a store at the University of California Riverside launching in August.
The colleges that have “The Glossary” are also far away from malls. Lisa Mazzio, the Director of Merchandise at Barnes & Noble College, told Racked that this was purposefully for college students lacking transportation (think freshman who don’t have cars). This also lessens the competition.
Barnes & Noble
Why?
It adds convenience, especially because the stores are located in areas that are far away from major beauty stores. Barnes & Noble wanted to expand their market for their college partners and customers, especially since they’ve already had success selling Burt’s Bees and Covergirl products.
Barnes & Noble are tailoring themselves to the needs of college students. The beauty world a huge market for 18-24 year olds, so the company used focus groups and discussion from college students to make their ideal beauty store a reality. “Their feedback informed the categories and brands we sell, the look and layout of the stores themselves,” Mazzio explained to BusinessWire. “And the format that inspires self-discovery rather than in-aisle beauty consultants, which students expressed were less desired.”
