Sephora Reopens Select Stores May 22

Sephora has announced that it will reopen select retail locations in Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Georgia, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona and Alabama on May 22. It also unveiled 48 safety procedures as part of the Sephora Health & Hygiene Guidelines.

The guidelines include:

• Restricted store capacity
• Six-foot markers at registers and store entrances
• One-way foot traffic
• New space restrictions for services
• Deep cleanings for stores
• Hygiene supplies and hand sanitizers
• Display-only testers (customers can use the retailer's virtual Beauty Advisor tool in the meantime)
• Face masks for employees
• Disposable face masks for clients in-store (required in some locations)
• Employee temperature checks at the beginning and in the middle of each shift (guests will not be checked)
• Extended return policy; Sephora will be accepting returns with receipts for all purchases made just prior to and during the shutdown for 30 days after store opening (all returned products will be destroyed)
• Closure of every other register in-store
• Encouragement of touchless pay
• Sanitized payment screens between transactions; Plexiglas dividers at registers
• Sanitation of baskets and bags
• Hygiene training for staff

How these measures maintain safety will likely direct how/if future reopenings occur.

“While the retail environment will feel different and many factors will remain out of our hands, we’ve learned to embrace what we can control," said Jean-André Rougeot, president and CEO of Sephora Americas. "We are taking an intentionally measured and phased approach to reopening, putting the priority on the health and safety of our communities. As we gradually reopen our stores over the next few months, we have taken great care in how we welcome back our employees and our clients. We are grateful for our clients’ support the past two months, and we want to safeguard the experience for those who want to return to stores. We will follow guidance from the CDC, government and health authorities in tandem with extensive supplemental safety measures, to formalize our new Sephora Health & Hygiene Guidelines, that safeguard the in-store shopping experience.”

Rougeot continued, “I am proud of our store teams as they have readied themselves through extensive training and new protocols under the Sephora Health & Hygiene Guidelines to help clients feel both safe and supported. Our people have championed our business, showed immense support for each other and our clients, and most importantly displayed true strength during these last nine weeks. Although many things in retail have changed, some things remain the same: our passion for the joy of beauty, our desire to welcome all, and our focus on the client.”