The Webster boutique goes after a recent market: prestige beauty.

The 11-year-old retailer, which now has eight locations nationwide, is amping up its offerings in the sweetness market. Beauty shouldn’t be entirely recent to the retailer, which hosts outposts for hairstylist David Mallett and aesthetician Joanna Czech in its Latest York location, and has launched brands like La Bouche Rouge in america. Although The Webster is just dipping its toes into the sweetness business, founder and artistic director Laure Hériard Dubreuil sees a chance for her curatorial skills out there.

“What’s at all times so vital and a part of the DNA of the Webster is the curation, and a combination of essentially the most established brands and the youngest designers. That’s what I desired to do with beauty,” said Hériard Dubreuil.

The shop’s beauty vertical, which launched exclusively online, includes skincare, color cosmetics, and fragrance. It’ll stock products from Augustinus Bader, Vintner’s Daughter, Dr. Barbara Sturm, MZ Skin, Westman Atelier, Sisley, Clarins, Liha Beauty, Joanna Vargas, Manasi(7), Royal Fern, Kat Burki, My Superflower, KNC Beauty, Floraiku, and Tammy Fender.

Strategically speaking, it’s a part of the retailer’s great digital expansion. “The timing needed to be right, and I wanted a push online. With the past 12 months, we actually grew our omnichannel and accelerated our omnichannel presence. This was the right timing to start out including a beauty selection, starting with e-commerce,” Hériard Dubreuil said.

When it comes to product offerings, the brand is starting small with a good brand matrix. “We start with online, and we start with a really tight curation. I would like to grow organically,” Hériard Dubreuil said. She added that in three to 5 years, beauty could make up between 5 percent and 10 percent of the business.

The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t been all smooth sailing for the retailer, but there have been some brilliant spots. “The day confinement began, I assumed it was going to be the tip of the world and our business, with all of our stores closed. But actually, I’ve been blown away by the relationships we’ve built throughout the years with our clients,” Hériard Dubreuil said.

The boutique has seen movement across categories, and customers are willing to spend. “We definitely sold luxurious leisurewear, home and fragrances were definitely strong as these were luxuries that might be easily enjoyed within the moment,” Hériard Dubreuil said, adding that in beauty, all things mask-like were quick to realize traction. “We saw our clients specializing in investment pieces, working with our stylists to acquire bags and vintage watches. These, plus statement pieces for future wear,” she added.

Beauty isn’t the retailer’s only expansion efforts, having opened a recent store in Montecito, Calif., in July. “We opened in Montecito, we had began working on this project before confinement and we actually managed to open in July and have had an incredible response. As an entrepreneur, it’s at all times a roller coaster and also you don’t know what tomorrow can be,” Hériard Dubreuil said.

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