Hundreds of people queued at Trafford Palazzo, near the Trafford Centre, ahead of the flagship P.Louise City store opening on July 5. The all-pink superstore, which opened at Sunday lunchtime, marks another milestone for the viral beauty brand, which recently expanded into Boots stores for the first time.
Store Features and Milestones
Inside the new flagship, customers will find a wide range of products and stations, including a hair salon, a P.Louise supermarket, a pink "petrol station," and a P.Louise Vault where subscribers can access top-tier products like a fully golden Bad B*tch Energy set. The opening follows the brand's major expansion into Boots earlier this month.
Founder Paige Louise Williams, 33, from Droylsden, has grown her start-up business from scratch into a multi-million pound global beauty empire. Her nan loaned her £20,000 of her own savings to set up a make-up academy in Prestwich.
Founder's Emotional Speech
Talking ahead of the reveal, Paige, joined on stage by her mum, thanked her supporters and family. She said: "Never in my wildest dreams did I think little old me from Droylsden would pull up such a crowd, and what a beautiful crowd you are."
"For a girl who comes from a mum who had me at 15, I don't think the world had the highest expectations for either one of us and here we are opening one of the biggest stores in one of the biggest retail units so I'm blown away."
She added: "Dreams do come true but without every single one of you I actually don't exist so thank you for showing up for my dreams."
Paige also acknowledged her nan, who was watching via livestream: "Nana's not here today... but without you I wouldn't have a business, I would just be a girl with a dream because you took a £20,000 bank loan - and by God was it worth it."
"My team has stood with me whilst growing up. I was 21 when I first started the business and I've probably made so many mistakes in my career. We've failed, we've fallen and today I feel like we've officially won."
She concluded: "To all the girls and boys in the crowd, I want you to know you can be anything you want in this world. Your starting point doesn't define your finish line. Look at me, a girl that came from nothing... And just know that you can be anything you want in this world because this was not in the stars for me."
Queues and Celebrations
Queues began forming at 6am outside the store. The first 250 people to spend £20 in store received an exclusive free "PR box." Shoppers were also treated to special entertainment, drinks, and treats from 10am, including cakes, free lip-gloss lanyards, a DJ set, and a dance performance.
Among those in the crowd were Julie Sindall and her daughter Petra, who came to celebrate Petra's 12th birthday. Julie said: "To be fair we've only been here an hour, it's been really good. The experience has been brilliant, they've been giving out cupcakes, water, bacon butties. They've made it really worthwhile... they've made it very special for everyone."
She added: "We saw it on social media and saw that it was on her birthday as well so we just thought we'd come down. We went to the academy in Stockport last year for her birthday so we thought we'd come down this year as well."
The store officially opened from 12noon to 6pm on Sunday, July 5, and will then open daily at Trafford Palazzo.
