Sephora shuts US stores for anti-bias training

Sephora is closing all its US stores for one day to conduct inclusivity training for employees.

The follows an alleged racial profiling incident involving Grammy-nominated singer SZA in April. SZA went on to talk about the incident on Twitter.

However, a Sephora spokesperson denied the mandated training is “a response to any one event”, stating that the workshops are part of a broader campaign that have been in the books for several months.

In April, SZA claimed she was racially profiled at a store in Calabasas, California. The incident was reported to management, according to Reuters.

She said a store employee, “Sandy”, had called security to make sure the singer was not stealing from the store.

Following the incident, she posted on Twitter: “We had a long talk. U have a blessed day Sandy.”

Sephora responded to the post calling SZA “a part of the Sephora family”, a reference to the fact that the singer used to work at a Sephora store. They went on to say that they are “committed” to ensuring that everyone “feels welcome and included at our stores”.

“We have been informed of an incident at our Calabasas store and in addition to reaching out to SZA directly, we are gathering more information about the incident in order to take the proper next steps,” Emily Shapiro, a spokeswoman for Sephora, told Reuters in an email.

“We take complaints like this very seriously, profiling on the basis of race is not tolerated at Sephora.”