NEW YORK (AP) – Sephora, a beauty product retailer, said on Wednesday it would strengthen the number of black-owned brands, reduce third-party security guards and offer more inclusive marketing as part of a racial bias plan in its stores to combat.
The company announced its plan when it released the findings of a study it commissioned to investigate an in-depth investigation into racial prejudice in the U.S. store shopping experience.
The study, based on a combination of employee and shopping surveys and academic research, began in the fall of 2019 and ended in late 2020. Two out of five U.S. retail buyers were found to have personally experienced unfair treatment based on their race or skin. tone. It has also been found that black copper is more likely than white copper to receive unfair treatment based on their skin color.
The issue of racial prejudice has gained more importance for companies following nationwide protests over police brutality last summer following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
As part of the plan, Sephora, a division of LVMH Must Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, plans to double the range of black-owned brands to 16 by the end of the year. The black-owned brands will also be prominently presented and advertised via a dedicated page on the Sephora website. It is also planned to introduce a new greeting system for buyers in all stores to ensure a more consistent experience.
Among other changes: Sephora will also reduce the presence of third-party security officers in its 500 U.S. stores and use more in-house specialists as a way to reduce shoppers’ concerns about policing.
“We know we are in a strong position to influence positive change in the retail industry and society at large, and it is our responsibility to act,” said Jean-Andre Rougeot, President and CEO of Sephora Americas, in said a statement.