Beauty giant Mac to launch in Arnotts as links with BTs grow under Selfridges
Samantha McCaughren ARNOTTS, the Dublin department store, is to launch beauty brand Mac next month, the first time the international beauty label has been available outside of Brown Thomas in Ireland.
It represents the latest co-operation between Brown Thomas and Arnotts, which are now both owned by the Selfridges Group,
Brown Thomas first brought Mac to Ireland in 1997 and it is available in its BT2 store. Mac is also sold in Dublin Airport.
Launched here by drag queen RuPaul, it regularly collaborates with celebrities such as Ariana Grande and Ellie Goulding.
Brown Thomas had been keen to make Mac available to shoppers on the north-side of the city for some time and opened a small BT2/Mac store on Henry Street in 2012.
The new concession in Arnotts will be significantly larger and occupy a prime location in the Arnott’s beauty hall. It will open in mid-November.
The existing BT2/Mac standalone store across the street from Arnotts, the country’s largest department store, will continue to trade until after Christmas.
Under the new arrangement, Brown Thomas and Arnotts will be the exclusive retailers for Mac products in Ireland.
Although Selfridges and Arnotts have not revealed details of a master plan for the department store, significant investment is expected.
It has already been adding a number of new brands and designers to the store.
John Lewis Home launched this week, while Charlotte Tilbury, a luxury beauty brand will open in Arnotts later this month. This brand was launched in Brown Thomas amid great fanfare in 2014.
Donald McDonald, managing director of Arnotts, said: “We are delighted to welcome Mac into a prime location within the beauty hall of Arnotts. Widely recognised as one of the top global make-up brands, this is an exciting addition to our store.
“Our ambition at Arnotts is to continue to deliver exceptional service and quality products, and to create new and exciting experiences for existing and new customers,” he added.
“Mac is one of the many new exciting brands we’re introducing into Arnotts over the coming months.”
The Selfridges Group, owned by Canadian businessman Galen Weston and his Irish wife Hillary, confirmed it bought Arnotts last November.
It was acquired for an undisclosed sum from Fitzwilliam Finance Partners, a corporate vehicle set up by Irish developer Noel Smyth in 2011. He plans to develop lands nearby to Arnotts.