Kohl’s will put Sephora in charge of both its physical and digital beauty departments as part of a new long-term strategic partnership. The first 200 “Sephora at Kohl’s” in-store shops are slated to open in fall 2021, and the Kohls.com beauty assortment will exclusively showcase Sephora product offerings beginning at the same time.
The shops will be designed as fully immersive premium beauty destinations, measuring approximately 2,500 square feet and prominently located at the front of the store. Following the initial 200 locations, the retailers plan to expand the concept into at least 850 stores by 2023.
The Sephora at Kohl’s shops will replace Kohl’s current in-store beauty departments, with exterior signage displaying both Kohl’s and Sephora branding. The retailers will select the locations based on existing Sephora store proximity, market opportunity and customer insights.
Expanding Reach and Scale
Sephora has 500 of its 2,600 stores in the Americas, and Kohl’s has more than 1,150 locations in 49 states, with limited overlap between the two store networks. The combined offering aims to draw new and younger customers to Kohl’s and will bring the Sephora experience to millions of new shoppers plus existing members of the Sephora beauty community who may not live close to a Sephora location.
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“Great brands are always looking for new ways to serve their customers and innovate, even in dynamic times,” said Martin Brok, Global President and CEO of Sephora in a statement. “With Kohl’s, we will be able to bring Sephora closer to where our customers want us to be. This partnership also shows our confidence in the future of omnichannel retail and ideally positions both Kohl’s and Sephora to seize tomorrow’s opportunities, today.”
Creating Customer-Centric Prestige Experiences
At Kohl’s, Sephora will offer customers its signature Sephora experience and offer a range of makeup, skincare, hair and fragrance brands. Sephora’s high-touch customer engagement will prominently feature testing and discovery zones that serve up a rotating assortment of new, emerging or trending products. The shops will be staffed by Sephora-trained Beauty Advisors for elevated customer service combined with deep beauty expertise for providing consultations and assistance in product discovery.
Online, the Sephora at Kohl’s experience will launch on Kohls.com to coincide with the fall 2021 openings, making Sephora the exclusive beauty partner for the site. Sephora.com and Kohls.com also will integrate their ecommerce experiences, allowing Sephora.com shoppers to find the nearest Sephora or Kohl’s locations that have their beauty products available.
Sephora purchases at Kohl’s and Kohls.com will be eligible for Beauty Insider rewards benefits, as part of Sephora’s loyalty program. Kohl’s also will offer easy in-store returns, store pickup and curbside pickup.
“The Kohl’s and Sephora partnership will bring a transformational, elevated beauty experience to Kohl’s from the top global name in beauty,” said Michelle Gass, CEO of Kohl’s in a statement. “This new collaboration is an excellent example of two customer-centric, purpose-driven companies leveraging each other’s strengths to make aspirational beauty far more accessible to millions of customers all across the country.”
Earlier this year, Sephora was in a legal battle with struggling department store JCPenney over early termination of their multi-year agreement to jointly operate Sephora Inside JCP (SiJCP) beauty departments.
