LOS ANGELES, June 4 ― Cosmetics powerhouse Sephora has announced it will close all its US stores, distribution centres and corporate office for an hour-long employee training session just weeks after a racial profiling incident involving Grammy-nominated singer SZA.
The black R&B star tweeted just over a month ago that staff in one of the beauty chain's California shops called security on her.
In a statement posted to social media on May 24, Sephora said it would close tomorrow morning to “host inclusion workshops for our employees.”
SZA said security was called “to make sure I wasn't stealing” while she was at a Sephora store northwest of Los Angeles.
“We had a long talk. U have a blessed day Sandy,” she said on Twitter, referring to an employee.
SZA has been nominated for several Grammy awards, including this year for best new artist and best R&B song.
Sephora responded directly with its own tweet, saying the firm takes “complaints like this very seriously and are actively working with our teams to address the situation immediately.”
However, the company said in a statement yesterday that “the 'We Belong to Something Beautiful' campaign has been in the works for a year” and “the campaign was not the result of this Tweet” from SZA.
The programme will include a one-hour closure of US facilities to provide a “inclusivity workshop” for Sephora's 16,000 employees. The discussions “include, but are not limited to, gender identity, race and ethnicity, age, abilities, and more.”
The training “has been in development for over six months,” the statement said. “This store closure is part of a long journey in our aspiration to create a more inclusive beauty community and workplace.”
The company is owned by Paris-based Luxury giant LVMH, whose 70 brands range from Louis Vuitton, Hennessy and Givenchy to Celine, Dior and Guerlain.
It is not the first time a well-known firm in the US has had accusations of racial profiling made against their staff.
Starbucks last year closed for an afternoon of nationwide race awareness training, after two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia store in April.
It is estimated the move cost the coffee giant at least US$12 million (RM50.12 million) in lost sales. ― AFP
