Ulta Beauty to Open Experiential Times Square Location in 2027

Ulta Beauty Is Heading to Times Square — And It's Going to Be Unlike Any Store You've Visited Before

If you thought Ulta Beauty was already everywhere, think again. The Illinois-based beauty retail giant has officially announced plans to open a flagship, experiential store in one of the most iconic locations in the world: Times Square, New York City. Set to open in 2027, this new location is poised to redefine what beauty retail looks like in the modern era — blending immersive technology, live entertainment, brand storytelling, and next-level customer experience under one spectacular roof.

The announcement came during Ulta Beauty's quarterly earnings call, where CEO and president Kecia Steelman outlined an ambitious vision for the company's continued U.S. and global expansion. For beauty enthusiasts, retail watchers, and anyone who has ever wandered through Times Square, this is big news — and it's worth understanding exactly what it means for the future of beauty shopping.

What Makes This Store Different? The "Experiential" Retail Revolution

The word "experiential" has become something of a buzzword in the retail industry, but Ulta Beauty's Times Square plan takes it to an entirely new level. Rather than simply stacking shelves with lipsticks and serums, this flagship location is being designed as a destination — a place where customers don't just shop, but participate.

According to CEO Kecia Steelman, the store will be a "vibrant, dynamic destination where technology, entertainment, convenience and our differentiated assortment come together to deliver immersive guest experiences and brand activations." In plain terms, expect interactive beauty tech stations, live events, exclusive brand launches, and an atmosphere that feels more like a beauty theme park than a traditional retail store.

This approach reflects a broader shift happening across the retail industry. As e-commerce continues to grow, brick-and-mortar stores are being challenged to offer something that an online cart simply cannot: a memorable, sensory, human experience. Ulta Beauty appears to be betting that Times Square — with its roughly 50 million annual visitors — is the perfect stage on which to make that case.

Times Square: The Perfect Stage for a Beauty Flagship

Choosing Times Square as the home for this flagship location is no accident. Times Square is arguably the most visible piece of real estate on the planet, drawing tourists from every corner of the United States and the world year-round. For a brand looking to amplify awareness and connect with a global audience, there is no better address.

Steelman specifically highlighted the store's potential to "unlock high-impact marketing through digital billboards" — a reference to the towering, luminous advertising screens that have made Times Square a marketer's dream for decades. An Ulta Beauty presence on those billboards, tied directly to an in-store experience steps away, creates a powerful closed loop between marketing and retail that few locations in the world could replicate.

Beyond tourism, Times Square sits in the heart of Manhattan, one of the most densely populated and fashion-forward urban markets in the country. Local New Yorkers who may not have easy access to a traditional suburban Ulta Beauty location will now have a flagship option that goes far beyond the standard store format.

How This Fits Into Ulta Beauty's Broader Expansion Strategy

The Times Square announcement doesn't exist in isolation — it's part of a wider, multi-front growth strategy that Ulta Beauty's leadership revealed during the same earnings call. Some of the other major initiatives include:

• A new fulfillment center in Salt Lake City, designed to improve shipping speed and logistics efficiency across the western United States.
• Increased investment in artificial intelligence, aimed at personalizing the customer shopping journey both online and in-store.
• Expanded same-day delivery services, catering to the growing consumer demand for instant gratification in beauty retail.

Together, these moves paint a picture of a company that is simultaneously strengthening its digital infrastructure and doubling down on physical retail — a dual strategy that many analysts believe is the most sustainable path forward for large-scale retailers in the 2020s.

Ulta has also been actively growing its international footprint. In recent years, the brand expanded into Mexico and made inroads into the Middle East, targeting new fragrance and beauty markets with customized retail strategies. The Times Square flagship can be seen as a domestic mirror of that international ambition — a statement store that speaks to the world from the center of New York City.

What Shoppers Can Expect Inside the Times Square Flagship

While full design details have not yet been released, Steelman's vision gives us a clear sense of the experience Ulta Beauty is crafting. Shoppers can likely anticipate:

• Immersive brand activations where beauty labels can launch products through events, demonstrations, and interactive installations.
• Technology-driven beauty tools, such as virtual try-on stations, AI-powered skin analysis, and personalized product recommendation systems.
• Live entertainment and events, potentially including influencer appearances, masterclasses, and exclusive product drops.
• A curated, differentiated product assortment that may feature items or exclusives not available at standard Ulta locations.
• Seamless omnichannel integration, allowing customers to move fluidly between in-store discovery and online purchasing.

The goal, as Steelman put it, is to "drive greater awareness and loyalty with guests from all over the United States and the world" — a mission statement that underscores just how much this store is intended to function as a brand ambassador as much as a retail location.

Why This Matters for the Future of Beauty Retail

The Ulta Beauty Times Square flagship is more than a single store opening — it's a signal about where beauty retail is headed. As consumers increasingly expect brands to entertain, inspire, and connect with them on an emotional level, the standard beauty counter or drugstore aisle simply isn't enough anymore.

Brands like Sephora, Apple, and Nike have long understood that flagship stores serve a dual purpose: they generate direct revenue, but more importantly, they generate culture. They become places people talk about, post about, and return to. Ulta Beauty's Times Square location, if executed as ambitiously as Steelman describes, has every potential to join that conversation.

With the 2027 opening still a few years away, the beauty industry will be watching closely as details continue to emerge. One thing, however, is already certain: Ulta Beauty is thinking bigger than ever, and Times Square is about to get a whole lot more glamorous.