Specialty retail names like ULTA have been performing well this year, buoyed by strong consumer sales in niche products. Ulta's unique product positioning creates a one-stop shop that's unlike most other beauty retailers -- a combination of ultra high-end products and the offerings you'd find at any mass retailer make the store a one-stop shop for consumers' beauty needs, and give Ulta the opportunity to offer a value proposition that's not easily found in the fragmented beauty industry. At present, ULTA stocks more than 20,000 individual SKUs at each store, a selection that wide widely focused stores just can't compete with.