M.A.C. will return to Bermuda before Christmas in its own 1,000 square foot store designed exclusively for the contemporary cosmetic line on Front Street.

Several local retailers were vying to take over the popular line which departed the Island last month due to the closure of long-time vendor Trimingham's.

Paula Clarke, chief merchandising officer for Gibbons, said yesterday her company won out because M.A.C. wanted its own free-standing store and they were able to provide it at the current site of the Guerlain Paris Boutique.

"They saw the business in Bermuda and knew the direction the rest of the MAC group was going in and they felt that a boutique on Front Street was the way they wanted to approach the business in Bermuda and we were in a position to be able to offer that to them," she said, adding that the store will be part of a new generation of stand alone stores designed by M.A.C.'s vice president of store design, Rgis Pan.

M.A.C. was created in Toronto in 1985 and is now part of the Este Lauder Companies. While both lines were formally sold by a single store, Trimingham's, Este Lauder has made the Island's other big department store, A.S. Coopers and Sons, its exclusive vendor.

M.A.C. will train its own retail artists to advise consumers on the latest trends, formulas and application techniques. Additional services offer brow shaping, bridal sessions and false lash application.

"We know it is a popular force in in Bermuda and we see it being even more so within its own environment," Ms. Clarke said.

The space at 53 Front Street, which is owned by Gibbons Company, currently houses the Guerlain Paris Boutique. That line will be moved into Gibbons Department store on Reid Street.