2018 Retailer of the Year

inSight

Shop Profile

Lux Beauty

BOUTIQUE

50 inStore. Winter 2019 inSpire. inForm. inStore.

Light It Up

A dashing beauty boutique in the heart of downtown Edmonton is the recipient of the 2018 Retailer of the Year award from the Canadian Gift Association By Andrea Reynolds

M

usic’s pumping, everyone’s chatting, decor is on point and laughs are heard from every corner. Did you stumble into Edmonton’s newest club? Nope. You’ve entered Lux Beauty Boutique, a stylish shop with the bestsourced beauty products, and it just happens to be a party in here.

From her love of reading magazines and sourcing the hottest beauty products, Lux founder Jennifer Grimm realised that Canadians were left out in the beauty cold. No one was bringing the products she wanted to Canada,

much less Edmonton. While preparing a hypothetical business model for a university course 19 years ago, a light bulb went off – she would open a store. “The name ‘Lux’ kept coming back to me, but I thought it was too obvious,” says Grimm. “It wasn’t until I ran it by others who were helping me brainstorm that I discovered how perfect the name was.”

What makes your store unique? It’s all about the shopping experience. We carry hard-to-find, A-list beauty products, but the thing that sets us apart is our desire to engage each customer

JUST THE STATS

Store: Lux Beauty Boutique Location: Edmonton, Alta. Square footage: 1200 Employees: Eight Top-selling lines: Ren Clean Skincare, Tata Harper, Indie Lee and Amaterasu mascara Website: www.luxbeauty.com Instagram: @Luxbeautybtqyeg

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Lux perfectly embodies its name: the mixture of luxury and a luminous glow.

who walks in the door. Our staff genuinely cares about helping each person find what they’re looking for and eliminating the stress of shopping for themselves or for someone else.

How would you describe your store and its atmosphere? When we moved to our new location, we had the opportunity to have fun with the space. Our first level displays all our beautiful products on custom-built glass and copper-pipe shelving, lovingly made by my dad and my husband. Upstairs is our luxurious lounge where we host events.

To what do you attribute your success? We devote time to training. Beauty products can be intimidating to shoppers. They think, “Do I belong here? Am I cool enough? Am I old or young enough?” We like to show everyone they belong. Our mission statement is: “Everyone leaves here feeling happier than when they came in.” If customers walk in here and they aren’t having fun, there’s a problem.

How do you promote your store and what are your most successful promotions or marketing mediums? I can’t say enough about how amazing Instagram is. You instantly connect with the customer. It’s fantastic. We also recently had a master class with the co-founder of Indie Lee which was really fun. It’s a great way for customers to gain familiarity with the products and build a relationship with the store.

What has been your most successful recent? We have two signature events each

year: our birthday event in April, and what we call the Beauty Awards Red Carpet Event in October. We literally have lineups in the morning. We give swag bags and gift-with-purchase items, but I think what really draws the crowds is the atmosphere - it’s a party on the sales floor.

Do you have a favourite new product line? I don’t know how to narrow it down to just one. Ilia Beauty has an amazing lip crayon with beautiful colours. They source certified organic bio-active botanicals, and we were one of the first stores in Canada to carry it. Indie Lee is another natural brand we love.

Looking back, what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned? Lux has been around for 19 years and I have learned so much. The saying, “A little effort goes a long way,” applies so well in this business. Going the extra mile means a lot to your customer and employees. Another lesson is put your core values on paper. You’ll find something you always knew was there, but defining it is life changing.

What do you see for the future? I would like to explore expansion opportunities. I think there needs to be a Lux in every town!

Finally, how do you stay inspired? There’s always something inspiring in the awareness of the products and brands out there. Honestly, I love retail. It’s like a living laboratory. You usually get immediate feedback, so it’s important to listen to it.

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