In July, Sephora exited Russia and inked an agreement to sell all of the shares in its subsidiary in Russia to its general manager there. Now, some of Sephora’s stores in the country have reopened and rebranded as Ile de Beauté.
 
According to Reuters, Ile de Beauté is a local chain Sephora bought in 2016, a few years after an initial investment. The retail chain began rebranding stores in Russia under the Sephora banner in 2018 and was still in the process of doing so when the global pandemic hit in 2020.
 
In a message on its website, Ile de Beauté thanked returning customers, promising a wide range of international brands, and said that previously purchased gift cards would still be valid.
 
“A lot has changed in the time since our last meeting,” the company stated. “We were forced to suspend operation at our shops, but have retained all jobs and continued to support employees, while working in parallel on redesigning the company’s internal processes.”
 
This news comes after scores of beauty brands closed stores in Russia and made pledges to support Ukraine over the past year.