Deal Timeline

Plotted by close date where disclosed, otherwise announcement. Select any marker to jump to the deal entry.

The Acquisition Playbook.

Three patterns run through Ulta Beauty's acquisitions — what it looks for, how it pays, and how it folds in what it buys.

01
Acquisition criteria
Overwhelmingly organic growth.
Ulta scaled to roughly 1,500 U.S. stores almost entirely by opening its own locations rather than acquiring competitors - it carried no goodwill on its balance sheet at all until fiscal 2018. In its full public history (IPO 2007) it has completed only three acquisitions.
QM ScientificGlamST (augmented-reality virtual try-on)Space NK Limited
02
Capital deployment
Technology tuck-ins to power digital and personalization.
Ulta's first-ever acquisitions, both in fiscal 2018, were tiny technology startups - QM Scientific (artificial intelligence) and GlamST (augmented-reality virtual try-on) - bought for about $13.6 million combined to accelerate digital innovation and personalization, not to add revenue or stores.
QM ScientificGlamST (augmented-reality virtual try-on)Space NK Limited
03
Integration approach
A step-change with Space NK (2025).
The ~$399 million acquisition of British prestige-beauty retailer Space NK - funded with cash and its existing credit facility - is Ulta's first sizable, international, and retail (versus technology) deal, adding about 86 U.K. and Ireland stores run as a standalone subsidiary, a marked departure from its historically organic, U.S.-only, tuck-in-only approach.
QM ScientificGlamST (augmented-reality virtual try-on)Space NK Limited

The Full Deal Book

3 acquisitions — each with the deal value, financing structure, target revenue, and executive commentary where disclosed.

01 QM Scientific, Inc. Not disclosed
Closed Sep 2018 Acquisition of an artificial-intelligence technology startup. Ulta's Form 10-K reports it paid $13.6 million to acquire two technology companies in fiscal 2018
Artificial-intelligence / machine-learning talent and technology for searchproduct discovery and personalization

On September 10, 2018, Ulta Beauty acquired QM Scientific, an artificial-intelligence technology company, to strengthen its personalization and product-discovery capabilities. Ulta grouped QM Scientific with its October 2018 GlamST purchase, disclosing a combined ~$13.6 million of cash paid for the two technology companies in fiscal 2018; neither deal was individually material. Ulta described the pair in its Q3 fiscal 2018 earnings release as technology startups in artificial intelligence and augmented reality that support the company's personalization initiatives and accelerate its digital innovation capabilities.

02 GlamST (augmented-reality virtual try-on) Not disclosed
Closed Oct 2018 Acquisition of an augmented-reality technology startup. Ulta's Form 10-K reports it paid $13.6 million to acquire two technology companies in fiscal 2018
Augmented-reality virtual try-on technology for cosmetics

On October 29, 2018, Ulta Beauty acquired GlamST, an augmented-reality technology company whose virtual try-on technology lets shoppers preview cosmetics digitally. Ulta grouped GlamST with its September 2018 QM Scientific purchase, disclosing a combined ~$13.6 million of cash paid for the two technology companies in fiscal 2018; neither deal was individually material. Ulta described the pair in its Q3 fiscal 2018 earnings release as technology startups in artificial intelligence and augmented reality that support the company's personalization initiatives and accelerate its digital innovation capabilities. GlamST's virtual try-on technology went on to power Ulta's GLAMlab experience.

03 Space NK Limited · United Kingdom and Ireland (approximately 86 stores) plus online $399.2M
Announced Jul 2025 Closed Jul 2025 Acquisition of 100% ownership of Space NK Limited, a luxury/prestige beauty retailer operating in the U.K. and Ireland. Funded with cash on hand and borrowings under Ulta's existing credit facility. Per the finalized purchase price allocation
UK/Ireland prestige-beauty retail footprint (~86 stores)curated prestige-brand assortmentand an established international beauty e-commerce and loyalty operation

On July 10, 2025, Ulta Beauty acquired 100% of Space NK Limited, a leading British prestige-beauty retailer and curator of innovative beauty brands with stores across the U.K. and Ireland plus an online presence. It is Ulta's first sizable, international, and retail (rather than technology) acquisition, giving the U.S. specialty-beauty leader a physical footprint outside North America for the first time. As of January 31, 2026, Ulta operated 84 Space NK stores in the United Kingdom and two in Ireland. The deal was funded with cash on hand and borrowings under Ulta's existing credit facility; per the finalized purchase price allocation, net assets acquired were $399.2 million (including $213.8 million goodwill and $201.6 million of other intangible assets). Space NK operates as a standalone subsidiary and continues to be led by its pre-acquisition management team. approximately $399.2 million (net assets acquired per the finalized purchase price allocation; goodwill of $213.8 million).

Why it was attractive
  • Established prestige-beauty retail platform and brand relationships outside the U.S
  • giving Ulta an immediate international footprint
Post-close · earnings-call commentary

Operates as a standalone subsidiary retaining its pre-acquisition management team; as of January 31, 2026 comprised 84 U.K. and 2 Ireland stores.

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