CVS Launches Beauty 360

Chicago CVS Caremark Corp. on Monday took the wraps off its freestanding beauty format, Beauty 360, opening a store next to a new CVS in Washington D.C.'s Dupont Circle neighborhood.

Asecond Beauty 360 will open in early December in Mission Viejo, California. Both locations are adjacent to CVS/pharmacy stores and can be accessed via breezeway as well as a separate storefront entrance.

The new concept features a wide range of prestige and niche beauty brands from the skincare, cosmetics, men's grooming and fragrance categories, and is staffed with trained and licensed professionals offering an array of services including mini-manicures, express facials, hand massages and makeup.

Beauty 360 is designed to allow for maximum interaction with product and staff. "Innovation Stations" throughout the space highlight product technology while "Play Stations" allow for extensive product testing.

"Beauty 360 is the natural evolution of CVS/pharmacy's leadership within the beauty category," said Mike Bloom, senior VP of merchandising at CVS/pharmacy. "We look forward to hearing from our customers as we embark on rolling out additional Beauty 360 pilot stores in 2009."