A Beauty Makeover at Lord & Taylor

In an effort to boost traffic and sales, Lord & Taylor revamped t its main-floor beauty department with a new look and a more inviting and visually engaging layout.

About 3,000 square feet were added to the beauty floor, which now totals 12,500 square feet. Five brands have been added to the store — Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, Mario Badescu, Fusion Beauty and Molton Brown — and 11 vendors have been upgraded to shop-in-shop installations. Another feature is an Allure pop-up shop, which will offer prize-winning products from the magazine’s annual awards event.

Market sources estimate that Lord & Taylor did about $14 million in volume on that floor last year. This is the first remodeling of the department since 1975. According to industry sources, the store hopes to do $20 million in annual volume on the floor in the future.

As part of the look, 75 video installations and light boxes have been built into the fixtures around the floor, giving vendors a chance to tout extra features and services. Estée Lauder has a more intimate area, dubbed the “Foundation Fitting Room.” Lancôme produced its first “Mascara Bar.” Chanel has a makeup mirror equipped with light settings to approximate different light conditions throughout the day, so customers can judge how the product will perform once they’ve left the store. Clinique has a touch-screen computer that provides a self-service consultation. It prints out recommendations for a consumer to take home. Nars has a “Mirror Monitor” that plays instructional videos while the customer is looking at her reflection. Laura Mercier has installed its first brow bar in the city and Fusion Beauty has a computerized service to provide customers with a virtual makeover.

The entire floor has been given a fresher feeling, thanks to an overhaul of the lighting system. Color-corrected bulbs were installed to radiate what store executives call “92 percent complexion-right lighting.” In addition, the vintage light fixtures were refurbished and given a new sheen.

Although the aisles were not widened, a feeling of roominess was created by moving the old counter chairs to inside the installations. Rodbell noted, “They all are in the shops so you’ll have better traffic flow throughout the department.” The number of chairs within the shops have been more than doubled to 90, Rodbell added. Barbara Zinn-Moore, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of beauty and home for Lord & Taylor, pointed out: “We know that if we get a customer in the chair, we’ll sell them and we’ll sell them a little more.”

Also, the men’s and women’s fragrance bars have been pulled together in the rear of the floor to make a more coherent impression.