28 Retailers, Including Sephora, Sign Mitigate Racial Bias in Retail Charter

National nonprofit Open to All today has announced that 28 U.S. retailer brands, including Sephora, signed the Mitigate Racial Bias in Retail Charter committing to take concrete steps to ensure a more welcoming environment for all by reducing racially biased experiences and unfair treatment for shoppers in the retail sector.

Previously: Sephora Announces Racial Bias Action Plan

The Mitigate Racial Bias in Retail Charter was inspired by the Racial Bias in Retail Study, a national study commissioned by Sephora that explored the ways in which BIPOC shoppers experience discrimination in retail settings. 

The report found that two in five U.S. retailer shoppers have personally experienced unfair treatment on the basis of their race or skin tone and that BIPOC retail shoppers were three times more likely than white shoppers to feel most often judged by their appearance.

By signing the Charter, the retailers acknowledge that racially biased and unfair treatment exists broadly in our society and as such, can impact the retail experience.

They have all pledged to design and implement actions that mitigate racial bias from the shopper experience, help foster inclusive shopping experiences for all, and work together to share best practices across the retail industry to drive change.

To support the overall effort, a member of the Open to All partner group has funded a two-hour anti-racism training to be shared with all Charter members.

Retailers who have joined the charter include:

• Sephora
• Capri Holdings (Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, Versace)
• Ascena Retail Group (Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant, Loft, Lou & Grey)
• CarMax
• Crocs
• Dick's
• Gap Inc.
• rue 21
• Zara
• H&M

Calla Rongerude, director of Open to All, said, "The study underscored the pervasiveness of unfair treatment of BIPOC shoppers in retail spaces throughout this country. We believe the retail industry should have a zero-tolerance discrimination policy. With the commitments from these companies, we can begin to address the problem, act, and start to make shopping more inclusive. Our goal is to create an environment that is truly open to all. We hope companies across the retail sector will join us, sign the Charter, and work together to create meaningful impact and share best practices.”

Jean-André Rougeot, president and CEO, Sephora Americas, said, "At Sephora, diversity, equity, and inclusion have long been core to our mission since our U.S. debut more than 20 years ago—but we recognized that the retail experience has not always been welcoming. When we first commissioned the Racial Bias in Retail Study in 2019, it was our intent that the findings would serve as useful insights for the entire retail sector, including Sephora. Today, we are proud to have this work resonate in such a deeply impactful way via the Charter, and with the commitment of so many retail signatories, we can collectively work to change the retail experience on a much faster and broader scale. We celebrate those that have joined and encourage others to sign on, as it’s not about perfection, it’s about a commitment to progress for shoppers today and tomorrow.”