ULTA vs RBA Comparison

Ulta Beauty is the largest specialized beauty retailer in the US with about 1,500 freestanding stores. The firm offers cosmetics (39% of 2024 sales), fragrances (13%), skin care (23%), and hair care products (19%). It also has salon services, including hair, makeup, skin, and brow, that account for about 4% of its revenue and drive traffic. Outside of the US, Ulta acquired premium beauty retailer Space NK and its 83 stores in the UK and Ireland in 2025, is opening franchised stores in Mexico, and has formed a joint venture to expand into the Middle East. In addition, Ulta collects royalties through its Target partnership (set to end in 2026) and credit card revenue. Ulta was founded in 1990 and is based in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

RB Global has evolved into a leading global marketplace that connects buyers and sellers of commercial assets and vehicles. It is the result of the 2023 combination of Ritchie Bros. and IAA. Ritchie Bros.' roots were as an auctioneer facilitating transactions of commercial, construction, and transportation equipment (excavators, bulldozers, forklifts, and commercial trucks and trailers). However, it has evolved into an omnichannel marketplace. IAA has similar roots, though primarily focused on the salvage auction segment for consumer automobiles. The group provides ancillary services including title processing, transportation/towing, financing, data and appraisal, and so on. Its activities are international, though skewing approximately two-thirds to North America.