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Sephora

[si-fawr-uh, -fohr-uh]

Sephora is a chain of beauty product stores founded in France in 1969 and acquired by Paris-based conglomerate LVMH in 1997.

Name & logo

Sephora is a combination of "sephos", which is Greek for "beauty" and the Greek form of Tzipporah צִפּוֹרָה, which means "bird" (female) in Hebrew, and was the name of the wife of Moses in the book of Exodus.

The name has also been used by Joseph Conrad in the novella "The Secret Sharer," as the name of Leggatt's ship.

The Sephora logo is a white vertically elongated "S" against a black background.

Overview

The Sephora chain includes more than 750 stores in 21 countries. It carries over 250 brands of extremely popular items that include makeup, skin care, fragrance, bath, and hair products, and beauty accessories, including Sephora's own moderately-priced private label. The chain targets a fairly upscale market of affluent customers in all age groups.

The leading retail beauty chain in Europe, Sephora opened its first US store in New York in 1997. Its North American headquarters are located in San Francisco with marketing offices in New York City. Sephora is a division of Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, a large luxury products group. With triple digit growth for the last five years, Sephora is one of the fastest growing retailers in the US. Sephora is known for their sampling program and for their lenient 60-day return policy. In 2004, it also started to operate in Canada.

The store also carries hair products and hair tools, and bath products.

There are three ways to shop Sephora: by phone, online, or in store.

In 1999, Sephora launched its online shop Sephora.com, now available in 9 countries.

Some brands sold at Sephora include:

Sephora Online

Virtual shopping is made easy at [www.Sephora.com], where everything the store offers is pictured, above a product description. A navigation bar is located at the top center of the website for easy, organized shopping. Also offered is a search bar, in online shoppers can type in a product name or name of a brand. A drop-down menu bar contains a complete list of brands.

The homepage of the website spotlights the newest and most popular award-winning products. Buying is also made simple on the website. Simply search through website for desired product(s). Click on "Add to Basket" option and proceed to click on the "Checkout" tab. Customers can even rate products and write their own reviews.

Sephora Catalog

Four seasonal catalogs are available to clientèle by mail and within stores.Each catalog offers information about new products that the store carries. Special catalogs promoting holiday cosmetics or skincare catalogs are also published. They can also be viewed online. Customers may sign up for the catalogs online, or over the phone. Each catalog offers beauty tips, Q+A, and news about upcoming store events. The catalog also offer coupons and cosmetic samples, such as perfume and/or cologne.

Sephora Beauty Insider

The Sephora Beauty Insider is a rewards program that offers customers coupons, discounts, and points for frequent buyers. The program is available to all Sephora customers and is free for sign-up. Each dollar spent is equal to one point, every one hundred points offers a free sample-size product. Upon signing up for The Sephora Beauty Insider program, customers are given two cards for easy access to their points each time they shop. Beauty Insider members also receive sample-size gifts on their birthday. Signing up for the program can be done in-store, online, or via phone.

Sephora's Private Label

The cosmetics store launched its very own private label featuring make-up, bath products, and other beauty tools. Packaging for the line features the company's elongated "S" logo in standard black print.

The line offers bath products, body treatments, candles, and tooth care.

Sephora inside JCPenney

In April 2006, Sephora joined forces with JCPenney to sell cosmetics in its stores. The JCPenney version of Sephora will be a "store within a store" concept. The first five "Sephora Inside JCPenney" stores opened in October 2006, and the rollout will continue throughout 2007 and 2008. These stores, which are one-third the size of a normal Sephora store (1,500 to 1,800 square feet as opposed to 4,000+ square feet), carry a more limited selection than full-size Sephora stores; however, many of Sephora's most popular cosmetics, skincare, and fragrance brands are represented. Cannon Equipment located in Rosemount, MN will be supplying the Sephora perimeter fixtures, and Sephora interior gondola fixtures for the "store within a store" locations.