Oslo's Steen & Strøm opens new luxury beauty hall

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
May 7, 2021

Norwegian department store Steen & Strøm has opened a 900 sq m luxury Beauty Hall as part of its NOK300 million (£25.7 million) wider store upgrade.

The beauty space opened on Friday as Oslo stores were allowed to emerge from Covid restrictions.

The 224-year-old department store has a two-year plan to future-proof itself and position itself at the forefoot of luxury and contemporary retail in Scandinavia. 

And the revamp will continue with makeovers for other floors, the addition of new luxury partners, a new visual identity and a new omnichannel strategy. A new e-commerce platform is due in the “near future” as part of the repositioning strategy and beauty will be part of that offer.

The store, located in the prime Promenaden Fashion District, originally opened in 1797 but has transformed itself into a destination for contemporary and luxury goods with more than 600 brands across its 12,600 sq m. The Beauty Hall carries more than 200 brands.

The space is said to be “the largest and most innovative beauty retail concept in Norway”. It features a mix of products, services and experiences, including a Skin Lab for niche brands, a men’s grooming area and a fragrance bar. It will also soon be home to Dior Beauty’s first boutique in the Nordics. It will carry a full Dior product range as well as many items news to the region and an exclusive selection of Dior sunglasses.

Norwegian multi-brand perfume chain Fredrik & Louisa has also also opened a flagship store within the Beauty Hall with it bringing several major brands exclusively to Steen & Strøm in the future.

Fredrik & Louisa’s CEO Eric Rivelsrud said the space “is not just the leading project currently being undertaken within the beauty segment in Norway, but it also represents the absolute best of contemporary Norwegian retail and we are proud to be a part of it.”

Promenaden Management CEO Annette Lund said the new concept “is a true USP for us in the city, the country, and for Scandinavia – and keeps our wider investment on track. We are especially excited to be bringing global brands such as Dior to the Nordic market – evidence of our international profile as an affluent nation, and we already see several other international brands eyeing the market.”