Sephora company history timeline
1970
Sephora was first launched in Paris in August 1970.
The well-known fact is that Dominique Mandonnaud founded Sephora in France in 1970.
1976
1976 Boots and Nouvelles Galeries form a partnership to build Sephora perfume chain.
1979
That company became part of Boots PLC in 1979.
1984
By 1984, Mandonnaud had opened a total of four Shop 8 stores.
1984 Promodes acquires control of Shop 8.
1987
By 1987, Promodes had separated itself from Shop 8.
1988
1988 Shop 8 acquires eight perfume stores in Paris.
1992
After years of losses, the Sephora chain managed to turn a profit of just FRF 270,000 on revenues of FRF 606 million in 1992.
1993
Shop 8, through Altamir, agreed to pay FRF 360 million ($61 million) for the Sephora chain in a deal completed in September 1993.
In 1993, the company launched the new format under a new name, Mille et Un Parfums, with a first store in the Belle-Epine shopping mall in Val-de-Marne, near Paris.
Mandonnaud is credited for designing and executing Sephora's "assisted self-service" sales experience, which separated itself from standard retail models for cosmetics by encouraging customers to test products in retail locations before purchasing. It was acquired by Dominique Mandonnaud in 1993, who merged the purchase with his own perfume chain under the Sephora brand.
1996
1996 Sephora opens its flagship Champs Elysées store.
1997
By the end of 1997, Sephora's sales had already topped the FRF 2 billion.
1998
Sephora turned to the international market, opening its first flagship store in New York City in 1998.
1999
The company’s website launched in the US in 1999 and it hosts one of the world’s largest beauty forums – Beauty Insider Community.
2003
2003 Jacques Levy is appointed CEO and he leads the redevelopment of the Sephora format, including the rollout of an extended line of Sephora branded products.
2004
In 2004, the company boosted its presence in Eastern Europe, buying up the Empik perfume chain in Poland, then forming a partnership with leading Russian perfumery L'Etoile to bring the Sephora format to that market.
2005
In 2005, the Selective Retailing division posted sales of EUR 3.65 billion ($4.3 billion).
By 2005, Sephora operated more than 100 stores in Italy, including its Milan flagship location, opened that year.
That product was followed by the launch in 2005 of a full line of Sephora skin care items.
2006
In October 2006, Sephora began opening stores inside JCPenney.
By 2006, the company had decided to exit the former altogether.
In 2006, the steady success of the line of Sephora branded products led the company to announce its plans to emphasize the future development of the brand.
2007
Sephora extended its operation to the Middle Eastern markets in 2007 and opened over 40 Sephora UAE and KSA stores.
In 2007, Sephora launched a client loyalty program.
2010
Sephora created a dedicated mobile app only in 2010.
2012
On July 26, 2021, Sephora agreed with Palamon Capital Partners the purchase of Feelunique.com, an UK online retailer of prestige beauty goods founded in 2005, with 1.3 million active customers from 120 countries and more than 35,000 products from over 800 brands. It had been acquired from Palamon Capital Partners for £26 million in 2012.
2014
On 1 January 2014, Calvin McDonald replaced David Suliteanu as president and chief executive officer of Sephora Americas.
2016
On 26 August 2016, Sephora opened its 400th location in North America on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago.
2017
On 31 March 2017, Sephora opened its largest retail location in North America near Herald Square in New York City.
2018
On 19 November 2018, Sephora signed a long-term lease at Thor Equities’ Town Square Metepec, a new retail and entertainment center in Mexico totaling 1.7 million square feet.
The company also began its expansion in India at the beginning of 2018.
In 2018 Sephora announced its new Clean Beauty category, a curated collection of organic and eco-friendly products without sulfates, parabens, formaldehyde, and other potentially harmful chemical ingredients.
2019
In 2019, Sephora introduced a range of credit card products: Sephora Credit Card, Sephora Visa Credit Card, and Sephora Visa Signature Credit Card.
2020
At the beginning of 2020, the largest ever Sephora destination opened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In 2020, the company partnered with Klarna to provide an option of paying in installments.
2021
Sephora will be replacing all cosmetics areas at Kohl’s with 2,500 square foot shops, starting with 200 locations in the fall of 2021.
Work At Sephora?
Share Your Experience
Founded
1970
Headquarters
Founders
Dominique Mandonnaud
Get updates for jobs and news
Rate how well Sephora lives up to its initial vision.
Sephora jobs
Do you work at Sephora?
Is Sephora's vision a big part of strategic planning?
Sephora competitors
Company Name | Founded Date | Revenue | Employee Size | Job Openings |
---|---|---|---|---|
Nordstrom | 1901 | $15.5B | 74,000 | 593 |
Gap Inc. | 1969 | $15.6B | 117,000 | 1,422 |
Clinique | 1968 | $830,000 | 50 | - |
Benefit Cosmetics | 1976 | $1.5B | 4,178 | 43 |
Anthropologie | 1992 | $4.8B | 5,012 | 2 |
Ralph Lauren | 1967 | $6.4B | 18,250 | 334 |
Laura Mercier Cosmetics | 1996 | $77.0M | 623 | 6 |
Calvin Klein | 1968 | $460.0M | 1,001 | 68 |
Smashbox | 1996 | $54.0M | 639 | - |
Bobbi Brown Cosmetics | 1991 | $5.0M | 1,765 | - |
Show more
Sephora history FAQs
How Old Is Sephora?
Sephora is 53 years old.
Who Is the Founder Of Sephora?
Dominique Mandonnaud founded Sephora.
When was Sephora founded?
Sephora was founded in 1970.
Related Company Histories
Working At Related Companies
Related Company Jobs
- Nordstrom Employment
- Gap Inc. Employment
- Benefit Cosmetics Employment
- Ralph Lauren Employment
- Laura Mercier Cosmetics Employment
- Dolby Laboratories Employment
- Samsara Employment
- Minted Employment
- method Employment
- OTTO Employment
- Hush Employment
- World Health Partners Employment
- Ouster Employment
- Wild Type Employment
- Fictiv Employment
Sephora Highest Paying Jobs
- Beauty Advisor Sephora Jobs
- Operations Associate Sephora Jobs
- Sales Service Coordinator Sephora Jobs
- Assistant Store Manager Sephora Jobs
- Store Manager Sephora Jobs
- Employee Relations Representative Sephora Jobs
- Equipment Operator Sephora Jobs
- Human Resources Business Partner Sephora Jobs
- Senior Engineer Sephora Jobs
- Companies
- California
- San Francisco, CA
- Sephora
- Sephora History
Updated July 21, 2023
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Sephora, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Sephora. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Sephora. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Sephora. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Sephora and its employees or that of Zippia.
Sephora may also be known as or be related to Sephora and Sephora USA, Inc.