The in-store experience is fundamental to retail success, according to Sephora Global CEO Guillaume Motte.
Presenting the keynote address at the inaugural NRF 2025: Retail’s Big Show Europe, Motte said Sephora was committed to growing its network of stores and that the need to rationalise post-Covid was “bull shit”.
“Boring retail is dead,” he opined, “but if you have exciting retail and experience, it’s alive and kicking.”
The Sephora in-store experience comprises 5-10sq m beauty hubs, where customers can touch and feel the products; plus new technologies, such as beauty scanners, which make the retailer better equipped to advise customers on the right shade of foundation, for example. The tool carries through to the online experience to enable shoppers to match their selection across different brands.
Motte said one third of Sephora’s business was online but the business was truly omni-channel and it did not matter whether customers bought through the app while in-store, or were ordering online and picking up orders in-store.
The brand is also now available on Uber Eats, bringing increased convenience.
“We have 3,400 stores or ‘warehouses’ in the middle of where our customers live, which makes beauty products accessible within one hour,” Motte said.
Motte said Sephora has changed the beauty landscape across the world. It is the only global beauty retailer with a presence in 35 markets, employing 50,000 people, of which 45,000 are in stores. It partners with 500 brands and has 74 million loyalty members, who share their purchase data with the company.
Motte said Sephora was enjoying strong growth and growing faster than the market. Sales have tripled in the last 10 years and almost doubled since Covid to €16bn in 2024. Sales were up 9% in North America, 21% in Europe, 39% in Latin America and 22% in the Middle East. “There is a growth opportunity – growth can happen but it depends on the offer,” Motte told delegates.
In Oman, for example, where Sephora opened its first store in 2024, the retailer introduced new brands to the market, generating $17 million from just one store, Motte revealed. “There is growth so long as you create the growth,” he said.
The product offer is another key pillar to Sephora’s success. “The offer needs to be outstanding,” Motte said. “At Sephora, we curate the offer, partnering with brands.” And it’s distinctive – one out of two products can only be bought at Sephora and, rather than buyers, the retailer has ‘nurturers’ who select the right products and work with brands to develop new concepts.
Brands are born at Sephora, Motte said. These include Dior Backstage, which was developed by the retailer with Dior and is sold exclusively at Sephora.
“We also tell the story and make the products come alive in-store or at a special event,” Motte said.
Makeup By Mario, for example, has evolved from one of Sephora’s own greeters, turned makeup artist, who now hosts master classes in countries around the world. Similarly, Sephora has recently launched Hailey Bieber’s new Rhode brand.
“Curation and creation is at the heart of what we do,” Motte said.
Sephora’s third pillar centres on building communities around beauty, harnessing its 74m ‘fans’, who have enrolled in its loyalty programme and engaged in the last 12 months.
“We give them personalised journeys or recommendations,” Motte said.
For top tier members that means offering them things which money can’t buy such as master classes or private shopping events.
The retailer also hosts events outside of its stores. Sephoria Paris takes place in one month’s time and follows similar beauty events in the US, Shanghai and Dubai. Sephora works to ensure its brand resonates with customers, said Motte. That means getting close to where beauty conversations are happening – at the beach and music festivals in Spain in the summer months, for example; or at Halloween in Brazil.
People is the fourth pillar in Sephora’s purpose, which is “to create an inclusive, inspiring world where everyone can feel seen, celebrated and beautiful”.
“Retail is a people business and what really makes the magic happen is the 45,000 people in store,” Motte said.
Sephora’s frontline staff are the priority and they are engaged with 94% participating in an internal survey and 80% stating they are proud to work at Sephora.
The business offers opportunities for career advancement, with two thirds of roles resulting from promotion from within, Motte added. A Sephora university, meanwhile, trains staff on product knowledge and leadership skills. The retailer also works hard to remain competitive in working conditions and benefits, Motte said.
“Retail is an incredible industry where there is so much growth but retailers and partners need to work together to create the growth. The offer, experience and communities are also key and teams – the source of our difference is the people that make the magic of Sephora come to life.”
