Exhibit 5.1

 

  

233 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 5800

Chicago, Illinois 60606

Tel: +1.312.876.7700 Fax: +1.312.993.9767

www.lw.com

LOGO    FIRM / AFFILIATE OFFICES
   Abu Dhabi    Moscow
   Barcelona    Munich
   Beijing    New Jersey
   Boston    New York
   Brussels    Orange County
   Chicago    Paris
May 7, 2012    Doha    Riyadh
   Dubai    Rome
   Frankfurt    San Diego
   Hamburg    San Francisco
   Hong Kong    Shanghai
   Houston    Silicon Valley

Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc.

1000 Remington Blvd., Suite 120

Bolingbrook, Illinois 60440

   London    Singapore
   Los Angeles    Tokyo
   Madrid    Washington, D.C.
   Milan   

 

  Re: Registration Statement on Form S-3 with respect to
    11,201,970 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as special counsel to Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the proposed resale from time to time of up to 11,201,970 shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, $0.01 par value per share, and associated preferred share purchase rights (the “Rights”) issued pursuant to the Stockholder Rights Agreement, dated as of October 25, 2007 (the “Stockholder Rights Agreement”), between the Company and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as rights agent, by certain selling stockholders named in the “Selling Stockholders” table included in the Registration Statement (as defined below). The Shares and associated Rights are included in a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on May 7, 2012, as amended (the “Registration Statement”). This opinion is being furnished in connection with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Act, and no opinion is expressed herein as to any matter pertaining to the contents of the Registration Statement or related Prospectus, other than as expressly stated herein with respect to the issue of the Shares and the associated Rights.

As such counsel, we have examined such matters of fact and questions of law as we have considered appropriate for purposes of this letter. With your consent, we have relied upon certificates and other assurances of officers of the Company and others as to factual matters without having independently verified such factual matters. We are opining herein as to General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, and we express no opinion with respect to any other laws.

Subject to the foregoing and the other matters set forth herein, it is our opinion that, as of the date hereof, the Shares and associated Rights have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action of the Company, and are validly issued, and the Shares are fully paid and non-assessable.


May 7, 2012

Page 2

 

LOGO

 

This letter assumes, with your consent, that the Board of Directors of the Company has acted in accordance with its fiduciary duties in adopting the Stockholder Rights Agreement, and does not address whether the Board of Directors may be required to redeem or terminate, or take other action with respect to, the Rights in the future based on the facts and circumstances then existing. Moreover, this letter addresses corporate procedures in connection with the issuance of the Rights associated with the Shares, and not any particular provision of the Rights or the Stockholder Rights Agreement. It should be understood that it is not settled whether the invalidity of any particular provision of a rights agreement or of rights issued thereunder would result in invalidating in their entirety such rights.

This opinion is for your benefit in connection with the Registration Statement and may be relied upon by you and by persons entitled to rely upon it pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Act. We consent to your filing this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our firm in the Prospectus under the heading “Legal Matters”. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

 

Very truly yours,
/s/ Latham & Watkins LLP