ULTA vs VIK 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.

Viking Holdings Ltd is a travel company, with a fleet of 92 small ships, which view as floating hotels. It offers travel experiences on all seven continents in all three categories of the cruise industry river, ocean, and expedition cruising. The Group defines its products based on the type of cruise offering and language of the cruise service. The River segment provides river cruises outside the United States to English-speaking passengers. The Ocean segment offers ocean cruises to English-speaking passengers. Other include operating segments that are not individually reportable, consisting of expedition cruises for English-speaking passengers (Expedition), Mississippi River cruises for English-speaking passengers, and Viking China, which includes cruises for Mandarin.