Pursuits

Selfie Generation Turns Makeup Chain Ulta Into Rare Retail Star

  • Revenue has quadrupled in past decade since 2007 listing
  • Customers can get ‘face mapping,’ hair styling on site
Photographer: Jamie Grill/Getty Images
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In the Instagram era, where looking good on camera is more important than ever, one retailer has found a way to capitalize on the selfie craze.

Ulta Salon Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc.Bloomberg Terminal, where women can buy a broad range of cosmetics and get their hair styled on site, was a rare bright spot in what was otherwise a disastrous 2016 for U.S. retailers. Shares of the Bolingbrook, Illinois-based company surged 38 percent last year, about four times higher than the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index’s gain.