What will Glossier look like after a makeover with Sephora?
Glossier, the disruptive beauty upstart, has reached a deal for Sephora stores and Sephora.com to start selling its products in North America in early 2023, marking its first wholesale partnership.
Sephora, which is owned by LVMH, has thousands of shops across the U.S. and Canada, including locations inside Kohl’s.
Founded in 2014, Glossier was heralded as a beauty trailblazer for tapping social media buzz to break out without department store distribution. Millennials and Gen-Zers flocked to its Millennial-pink aesthetic and accessible and affordable products.
The pandemic necessitated the closing of Glossier’s three stores as demand for makeup cratered amid social distancing restrictions. Glossier nevertheless earned a $1.8 billion valuation in a funding round in July 2021.
In January of this year, however, Glossier laid off a third of its corporate workforce after admitting to challenges scaling the business. In May, founder Emily Weiss stepped down as CEO and handed the reins over to Kyle Leahy, who joined Glossier as chief commercial officer in 2021. Glossier has also faced soaring online customer acquisition costs.
The move to Sephora comes as the makeup category has rebounded. In May, Glossier hired pop star Olivia Rodrigo as its first brand ambassador. The wholesale entry complements a renewed brick and mortar push. Stores are now open in Seattle, Los Angeles, Miami, London and Washington, D.C. with three more planned before the end of the year.
Glossier said it is one of the most searched for brands on Sephora’s website that’s not currently available at the chain.
“[Sephora is] an iconic, international retailer with an extremely loyal community and we know our customers want to find us there,” said Ms. Leahy in a statement. “We share the same customer-centric values and are both deeply grounded in the ever-evolving notion of beauty discovery. This marks a new chapter in our omnichannel strategy and we can’t wait for all that’s ahead in 2023.”
“All brands need to have some mix of DTC, wholesale and marketplace strategies,” Sucharita Kodali, VP and principal analyst at Forrester, told Glossy. “Very few brands can get away with just one because so much retail happens in other channels.”
- Glossier Inks Deal to Sell Its Products at Sephora – The Wall Street Journal
- Makeup company Glossier to sell its products at Sephora as new CEO pushes to expand reach – CNBC
- Glossier Is Heading to Sephora – WWD
- Glossier goes full omnichannel with Sephora partnership – Glossy
- Glossier seeks to recapture its shine after a tough 2021 – RetailWire