A Wren Says

Ulta Beauty and Target have announced they will end their partnership in 2026. That means that expansive section of beauty brands in the middle of Target will have to transition to something else. In WWD’s reporting on the break-up, the author cited challenges from the Sephora x Kohl’s partnership and Amazon’s dip into prestige beauty. That may have very well been a factor. It could also be that both brands are moving two different directions. It’s just not the right relationship anymore based on their new strategies. Or, perhaps there’s something else at play.

If you are still shopping at Target or did so within the past 6 months, chances are you found that particular section in the store had more security. If you pool the number of Reddit complaints about the partnerships from shoppers and employees, you’ll know that theft was an issue.

On the other side, because I phrased it as “if you are still shopping at Target,” the boycott is still affecting the retailer. This likely led to a drop in sales in the Ulta section significantly. Combine that with the shrink that continues to happen and you have a reason to expect both parties to want to part ways. Now of course, this has not been cited as the reason, but I can’t help but think that my theory played a role.

What do you think? Are/were you a Target or Ulta shopper? How will this relationship ending affect your shopping habits?