Global beauty retailer Sephora has announced it is opening two stores in Scotland this summer, with the firm saying it is bringing “double the magic to a country that has long been calling for it”.

The stores in Glasgow’s Silverburn Shopping Centre and Edinburgh’s St James Quarter will mark the company’s first foray into Scotland, some three years after it opened its first UK outlet in London.

The firm said hoardings at both sites will appear “imminently”, featuring the brand’s black-and-white stripe motif complete with “a Scottish nod”.

The Glasgow store is set to boast 5,048 square feet of retail space, while the Edinburgh outlet will measure 4,961 square feet.

Sephora said the stores will give Scots the chance to buy brands including rhode, Haus Labs and Makeup by Mario on home soil for the first time, along with Sephora UK exclusives.

Sephora UK managing director Sarah Boyd said: “The Sephora UK team and I are thrilled to finally reveal that we’re bringing our ‘temples of beauty’ to not one, but two incredible Scottish cities this summer – with fans crying out for a Scottish beauty playground.

“It has been three years since we opened our first UK store; from the very beginning we’ve been searching for the perfect locations for us to open in the region – and we are so happy to have found them in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter and Silverburn Glasgow.

“Opening in both Edinburgh and Glasgow this summer is about bringing double the energy, double the access, and double the magic to a country that has long been calling for it.

“Scotland also steps into a landmark summer, so the timing couldn’t feel more meaningful, and Sephora UK is proud to play a part in a special season that is set to make its mark in the history books.

“We know how eagerly our Scottish customers have waited while we expanded across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and we truly want to say thank you for your patience and loyalty.

“Now, Scotland, let’s get even more bonnie together.”

Sephora was established in Limoges, France in 1969, and has since grown to a global network of more than 3,200 physical stores, along with e-commerce and digital platforms.

The firm said the new Edinburgh and Glasgow stores will open alongside its new small-format “boutique” stores, which were recently announced to debut this summer in London.

St James Centre estate director Anne Ledgerwood described the opening of a Sephora store in the capital as a “major moment for both St James Quarter and Edinburgh’s shopping scene”.

“As one of the most influential names in global beauty, its arrival brings a new retail experience to the city and an exciting addition to St James Quarter’s growing beauty line-up,” she said.

“Sephora’s immersive concept and curated brand offer will our give customers something truly new, whether they are long-time fans or discovering the brand for the first time.”

Silverburn general manager David Pierotti said: “Sephora coming to Glasgow marks such a big moment for the city and the west of Scotland and we are so pleased to be home to its largest store in the country.

“Our commitment to delivering an award-winning, first-class retail experience for our guests is demonstrated through our diverse offering of leading names across fashion, lifestyle and beauty.

“I know our community in Glasgow will be very excited to see another globally recognised brand join us and we look forward to welcoming them to Sephora’s ‘temple of beauty’ here at Silverburn.”

MUMBAI: Ahead of the onset of peak summers, a brisk business season for consumer durables companies, some AC makers are feeling the heat of the West Asia war as restricted supplies of LPG and shortage of petrochemicals are beginning to hit production, industry executives said. LPG is used in processes such as brazing of copper and curing of powder-coating while petrochemicals is key to the manufacturing of polymers which are used in the plastic mechanical parts of AC units. To be sure, there’s no major disruption on ground as of now but if things do not get better, it could be a challenge heading into the season. For consumers who will already be paying more for new AC stock which will hit the shelves around April-May on the back of price hikes, the war led supply crunch could pose an added burden on pockets. “We are facing certain challenges related to production–first is availability of LPG and PNG which are required for certain manufacturing processes in ACs and other product categories. Also, scarcity of petrochemicals. It is causing some disruption in day to day production. We are working with our vendors to curb wider impact,” said Vikas Gupta, MD (operations) at PG Electroplast which manufactures ACs and a range of other white goods for brands. Given the likelihood of an extended summer, Gupta hopes the war will subside by then, helping demand. Temperatures have already started rising in parts of India and some forecasts have hinted at the possibility of El Niño later this year. “Geopolitical tension in the Middle East has started creating some supply-side constraints across certain input materials used in AC manufacturing,” said Kamal Nandi, business head and EVP at appliances business of Godrej Enterprises Group which is working with vendors to optimise procurement strategies and ensure continuity of production. Besides limited supply of LPG, availability of key plastic raw materials like Polypropylene and Polystyrene has been meagre, accompanied by sharp price increases, Nandi said. Epack Durable is looking at alternatives for brazing copper for ACs even though that will push up the cost of production, said MD & CEO Ajay Singhania. There has been no loss in production till now but gas agencies have said that there could be challenges going ahead if supply crunch remains. The company is now focusing on ramping up induction cooktops given the surge in demand, said Singhania. New energy norms have already pushed up AC prices by about 5% with another 8%-10% hike on the back of high commodity costs, said B Thiagarajan, MD at Blue Star. “There is apprehension within the industry about supply challenges,” said Thiagarajan. The vulnerability arises from supply concentration–about 88% of India’s LPG imports come from the Middle East and that equals roughly about 54% of the country’s total LPG demand. “If disruptions continue, the supply gap could be significant,” said Sumit Pokharna, VP, fundamental research at Kotak Securities.