Sephora Closes US Stores For An Hour To Host Diversity Training
NEW YORK (CBS Detroit/AP) — Wednesday for an hour Sephora closed all of its U.S. stores. The goal of the closing is to host "inclusion workshops" for its 16,000 employees following an incident where R&B star SZA said she had security called on her while shopping at a store in California.
The beauty retailer said the training had been in development months before SZA's experience, which undermined the company's efforts to cast itself as a champion of diversity. Sephora, apologized to SZA last month, and said the incident "does reinforce why belonging is now more important than ever."
In addition to the store closures, the company said it would also close its distribution centers and corporate office for the workshops to discuss what it means to belong in the context of "gender identity, race and ethnicity, age abilities and more." The stores will open to customers following the training.
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