NEW YORK (AP) – Beauty retailer Sephora said on Wednesday that it will increase the number of black-owned brands, reduce third-party security guards and offer more inclusive marketing as part of a plan to combat racial prejudice in your stores.
The company unveiled its plan by releasing the findings of a study it commissioned that looked in depth at racial prejudice in the retail shopping experience in the United States.
The study, based on a combination of employee and buyer surveys and academic research, began in the fall of 2019 and ended in late 2020. He found that two out of five retail buyers in the United States personally suffered unfair treatment based on their race or skin tone. He also found that black buyers are more likely than whites to receive unfair treatment based on their skin color.
The issue of racial prejudice took on more importance for companies in the wake of protests across the country against police brutality last summer, following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
As part of the plan, Sephora, a division of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, plans to double the range of black-owned brands to 16 by the end of the year. He will also present and advertise black-owned brands through a dedicated guide on the Sephora website. It also plans to launch a new greeting system for shoppers in all stores to ensure a more consistent experience.
Among other changes: Sephora will also reduce the presence of outsourced security officers in its 500 stores in the United States and use more in-house experts as a way to minimize customer concerns about policing.
“We know that we are in a strong position to influence positive changes in the retail sector and in society at large and it is our responsibility to take a step forward,” said Jean-Andre Rougeot, president and CEO of Sephora Americas, in a statement.