It’s fitting that Sephora used theater terminology to refer to its stores when it first opened — the selling floor was called the stage, sales associates were cast members and stock rooms and the like were back-of-house — because the retailer wrote the script for the modern-day beauty scene.
Through its open-sell format and incubation of emerging brands, Sephora U.S. democratized prestige beauty in North America. Since its beginnings 25 years ago in the heart of New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, it has continued to innovate, always with its goal of becoming the most-loved beauty community globally front and center.
That has translated into a sharpened focus on diversity, equity and inclusivity, both in the U.S. and beyond. Sephora was the first major company to commit to the 15 Percent Pledge and it supports Black founders via its Accelerate program. It has forged partnerships with external partners like Kohl’s and, this July, Zappos, to further its reach and accessibility, and it has nurtured generations of entrepreneurs, giving rise to a pluralistic brand landscape that gives life to a beauty landscape that is closely connected with culture overall.
The stores themselves are hives of activity — brimming with new brands to discover, products to play with, services to try. No wonder Sephora has become a magnet for beauty lovers everywhere, with 31 million people and counting in its Beauty Insider loyalty program. And while the retailer has become a mainstay in North America over the last two decades, the team still pursues innovation as if it’s opening night. “We have great competitors,” said Sephora Americas chief executive officer Jean-André Rougeot. “But I think the industry would look a lot less colorful without Sephora.”
Source: WWD