US beauty omni-retailer Sephora has designed a preliminary action plan to tackle racism and unfair treatment in all its retail stores.

As part of this, the retailer will be implementing various changes that focus on three main areas.

The focus areas are marketing and merchandising, in-store experience and operations, and talent and inclusive workplaces.

The action plan includes the findings of the ‘Racial Bias in Retail Study’ commissioned by Sephora and its Diversity & Inclusion Heart Journey strategy.

Some of the series of changes to be implemented in the stores are doubling assortment of Black-owned brands, including a dedicated tab on its website to notably feature and advertise Black-owned brands, focusing on growing brands owned and founded by Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) and introducing new marketing production guidelines.

The retailer will introduce a new greeting system, new training modules for all beauty advisors, set up D&I In-Store Experience Dashboard, new client feedback mechanisms, decrease third-party security vendors’ presence, new recruiting and development programmes, update zero tolerance policies, and more.

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Sephora Americas president and CEO Jean-André Rougeot said: “At Sephora, diversity, equality, and inclusion have been our core values since we launched a new kind of beauty retail destination in the US over 20 years ago, but the reality is that shoppers at Sephora, and in US retail more broadly, are not always treated fairly and consistently.

“We know that we’re in a strong position to influence positive changes in the retail industry and society at large and it’s our responsibility to step up. We’re committed to doing all we can to make our US retail experience more welcoming for everyone.

“Today, we are proud to share a first-look at Sephora’s action plan designed to tackle the issue of unfair treatment. We know it will be a journey, but we’re committed to holding ourselves accountable to this mission for the benefit of our clients, our employees, our communities, and the retail industry at large.”

Sephora will also partner with leading trade and diversity organisations such as Open to All, RILA and Diversity Best Practices.

The company operates more than 500 stores across the Americas.