Sephora
Company type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Consumer goods |
Founded | 14 August 1969[1] |
Founder | Dominique Mandonnaud[1] |
Headquarters | Paris, France |
Areas served | Worldwide |
Key people | Calvin McDonald (president and CEO of Sephora Americas), Chris de Lapuente Global (president & CEO Sephora) |
Products | Cosmetics & beauty |
Revenue | US$4 billion (2013) (estimated)[2] |
Parent | LVMH |
Website | www www www |
Sephora is a French-founded chain of personal care and beauty stores that operate multi-nationally founded in Paris in 1969.[3][2] Featuring nearly 300 brands,[4] along with its own private label, Sephora offers beauty products including cosmetics, skincare, body, fragrance, nail color, and haircare. Sephora is owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH as of 1997.[2][5] The Sephora logo is a white "S"-shaped flame against a black background. The name comes from the Greek spelling of Zipporah (Template:Lang-el, Sepphōra), wife of Moses.[6][7][8]
History
Sephora first launched in Paris on August 14, 1969. It was acquired by Dominique Mandonnaud in 1993, who merged the purchase with his own perfume chain under the Sephora brand. Mandonnaud is credited for founding and implementing Sephora's "assisted self-service" sales experience, which departed from then-typical retail models for cosmetics by encouraging customers to try products in-store before purchasing.[9][10]
Mandonnaud continued to expand the Sephora brand through the 1990s, opening up its flagship store in Champs Élysées in 1997. In July 1997, Mandonnaud and his partners sold Sephora to LVMH, who expanded the stores globally and bolstered the chain's product offerings to include beauty and cosmetic products.[2]
On 1 January 2014, Calvin McDonald replaced David Suliteanu as president and chief executive officer of Sephora Americas. Suliteanu was named CEO of Kendo Brands, another business in the LVMH portfolio.[11]
Sephora opened its first United States store in New York City in 1998 and its first Canadian store in Toronto in 2004.[12][13] Its North American headquarters is located in San Francisco, with corporate offices in New York City and Montréal. Sephora currently operates over 360 stores across North America.[12]
In 26 August 2016, Sephora opened its 400th location in North America on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago. The store is the city's new flagship location.[14]
On 31 March 2017, Sephora opened its largest retail location in North America near Herald Square. The store is approximately 11,380 square feet and features over 13,000 products. It's one of six Sephora TIP Workshop locations, with interactive services and tools, in North America; the others include San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Santa Clara Valley, and Toronto.[15][16][17]
Online site
Sephora launched its online store to the U.S. in 1999 and into Canada in 2003.[12] The Canadian head office was opened in February 2007 by Marie-Christine Marchives, a former Sephora U.S. and Sephora France employee. Marie-Christine Marchives returned to France in July 2010 to become the general manager of Sephora France. She was replaced in Canada by Klaus Ryum-Larsen. Sephora currently operates over 2,300 stores in 33 countries worldwide [18] generating over an estimated $4 billion in revenue as of 2013.[2][19] As of September 2013, the Sephora at Champs Élysées in Paris, France, attracts over six million people a year.[20]
Acquisitions
In 2000, Sephora.com purchased the assets of Eve.com for "high six-figures".[21][22]
Lawsuit
On 18 November 2014, four customers filed a class action lawsuit against Sephora.[23] The suit alleges that Sephora engaged in racial discrimination by wrongfully deactivating the customer rewards accounts of Asian customers under the pretense that these customers were buying products from Sephora in bulk and reselling them.[24][25]
App
In 2016, Sephora launched the Virtual Artist app, an augmented reality platform. By uploading a photo, the user can receive a virtual makeover, experimenting with different product and shade combinations.[26][27][28]
Subscription service
In August 2015 it was announced that Sephora would launch a subscription service: Play! By Sephora. The monthly subscription service offers boxes containing sample size products for a monthly fee.[29] Boston, Columbus, and Cincinnati were the only three cities to test the initial service launch in September 2015. The service launched throughout the US in 2016.[30] As of 2018, the subscription service is still only available in the US.
For $10 USD billed monthly, each month’s box is a collectible bag that changes each month with five deluxe skin care, makeup, or hair care samples. Each box includes a selection of products based on answers provided by customer in PLAY! profile. [31]
Brands
Sephora features a variety of beauty products from more than 100 brands, including NARS Cosmetics, Make Up For Ever, Too Faced Cosmetics, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Urban Decay, Benefit Cosmetics, Amazing Cosmetics, First Aid Beauty, Lancôme Cosmetics, Sunday Riley Skincare, philosophy, YSL Beauty by Yves Saint Laurent, Tatcha,[32] Huda Beauty, Kat Von D, and Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.[33] Sephora also features its own make-up, skincare, beauty tools and accessories. Packaging for the line features the company's elongated flame logo in standard black print.
In 2013, the company debuted fragrance collections with Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, known as Elizabeth and James, and a makeup line with Marc Jacobs.[34]
Sephora inside JCPenney
In October 2006, Sephora began opening stores inside JCPenney. Sephora inside JCPenney features some of the same makeup, skincare, and fragrance brands as well as its own product line found in stand alone stores nationwide. Sephora inside JCPenney stores are much smaller than a normal store, usually 1,500 sq ft in size.[35] There are more than 600 Sephora locations in JCPenney stores across the US.[2][36][37] In 2017, JC Penney announced the closing of 138 stores nationwide; several of which house a Sephora in JCPenney store.[38]
Environmental record
Sephora’s sustainable development initiatives were recognized in December 2015.[39] The company received the Sustainable Brand label, as well as the 2015 R Award for eco-design by the Génération Responsible association. Global Cosmetic News reported that Sephora's newly launched display cases have a 30% lighter metal frame that will reduce CO2 emissions by 220 metric tons.[40]
Global Presence
Sephora extended its operation to the Middle Eastern markets opening over 44 Sephora UAE and KSA stores across the Middle East where it also launched its eCommerce stores. [41][42] It extends its partnership with its exclusive brands in the region. [43]
Awards and honors
In 2010, Women's Wear Daily named Sephora the specialty retailer of the year.[44][45]
In March 2018, FastCompany named Sephora to the number 36 spot (of 50) on their list of "World’s Most Innovative Companies", citing its expanded offering of broadly diverse and inclusive product lines like Fenty Beauty.[46]
References
- ^ a b "About Sephora". Sephora.
- ^ a b c d e f Loeb, Walter. "Sephora: Department Stores Cannot Stop Its Global Growth". Forbes. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ SHERMAN, LAUREN. "Inside Sephora's Branded Beauty Strategy". Business of Fashion.
- ^ Wood Rudolph, Heather (19 February 2015). "Interview Insider: How to Get Hired at Sephora". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
- ^ Born, Pete (24 October 2013). "Calvin McDonald Named CEO of Sephora Americas". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- ^ @sephora on Twitter
- ^ Zipporah conservapedia.com
- ^ Sephora facts byrdie.com
- ^ "Sephora Holdings S.A. – Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on Sephora Holdings S.A." References for Business. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ^ "The Sephora Saga". Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ^ "McDonald Named Sephora Americas President/CEO, Suliteanu To Become Kendo Brands CEO". Beauty Store Business Magazine.
- ^ a b c "About Sephora". Sephora. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ^ "Sephora". New York. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ "Sephora's Magnificent Mile store has new, high-tech look". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Panych, Sophia. "10 Hacks for Shopping the Largest Sephora in the United States". Allure. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ Strugatz, Rachel (3 April 2017). "Experience Matters: Sephora Goes Bigger on 34th Street". WWD. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ Zoldan, Rachel Jacoby. "Sephora Just Opened Its Biggest Store Ever, and It's Truly Insane". Glamour. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ "As Ulta Looks Prettier, Sephora Sharpens Tech Edge". www.mediapost.com. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ "Sephora.com: About Us". Sephora. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ MASIDLOVER, NADYA. "Paris Casts A Shadow Over Hours at Sephora". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Marsh, Lisa. "ARNAULT'S SEPHORA BUYS BUSTED EVE.COM". New York Post.
- ^ Miles, Stephanie. "Sephora.com Buys Assets of Defunct E-Tailer Eve.com". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "Sephora discriminated against Asian customers, lawsuit claims". Reuters. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- ^ "Civil Complaint" (PDF). PacerMonitor. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- ^ "Sephora Class Action Lawsuit". Sephora Class Action Lawsuit. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ^ "Sephora Updates Its Digital Beauty Makeover App | PYMNTS.com". www.pymnts.com. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ Caldwell, Georgina. "Sephora updates Virtual Artist app to include blush and contour shades". Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ "Sephora Using Mobile Across Entire Customer Journey". Multichannel Merchant. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ Novellino, Teresa. "Birchbox is about to meet a French foe: Sephora". Biz Journals. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
- ^ Malamut, Melissa. "Boston Is One of Three Test Cities for the New Sephora Box". Boston. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
- ^ "Sign up for Play! By Sephora - Monthly Beauty Subscription Box". www.sephora.com. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
- ^ "TATCHA Skin Care". Sephora. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
- ^ "Kat Von D Beauty is launching a new program with Sephora that will allow you to snag new products before they hit stores". HelloGiggles. 3 January 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- ^ "Beauty Boom: Is Sephora Becoming High Fashion's Next Target?". Time. 9 January 2013.
- ^ "About Us | Sephora". Sephora. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
- ^ "Sephora inside jcp". Sephora.
- ^ "As Ulta Looks Prettier, Sephora Sharpens Tech Edge". www.mediapost.com. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ Wahba, Phil. "J.C. Penney Is Closing These 138 Stores This Spring". http://fortune.com/2017/03/17/jcpenney-stores-closing/.
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- ^ "Sephora receives Responsible Brand label and 2015 R Award for eco-design". LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
- ^ Miles, Louise Prance. "Sephora honored for sustainable development initiatives with eco award". Global Cosmetic News. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
- ^ "Online Shopping In The UAE Is About To Get A Lot Better..." Emirates Woman. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- ^ "Sephora Reveal The Best-Selling Beauty Products In The Middle East". Harpers Bazaar Arabia. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
- ^ "Online Shopping In The UAE Is About To Get A Lot Better..." Emirates Woman. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- ^ "WWD 2011 Beauty Inc Awards: Retailer of the Year". Women's Wear Daily.
- ^ Hamilton, Anita (4 January 2012). "How an Upstart Beauty Company Broke into the Big Leagues Read more: How an Upstart Beauty Company Broke into the Big Leagues". Time.
- ^ "Sephora Is Bringing Shade To The Make-Up Industry". Fast Company. 6 March 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.