One of the most hotly anticipated store openings – or should we say REopenings – is happening this week. US-based beauty retailer Sephora re-entered the UK market last fall when it spent a whopping £132 million to acquire online beauty retailer feelunique. After an 18-year hiatus, Sephora is back in Blighty, and this week it opens its first store in Westfield in White City, West London.

In this episode of Retail Disrupted, we explore the return of the beauty retailer – what it means for the incumbents and how technology will play a critical role in the physical shopping experience.

But Sephora isn’t the only retailer expanding its bricks & mortar footprint this year - Aldi recently announced plans to open around 40 new stores across the UK this year. Are the discounters enjoying their time in the sun or is this perhaps a more permanent shift in grocery habits?