Growth

In 1997, Sephora expanded internationally, venturing into Europe with store openings in Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Poland by 1998 ("Love To Know"). Louis Vuitton and Moët Hennessy purchased the chain from Mandonnaud. In late 1998, Sephora opened its first U.S. store at 555 Broadway in New York City. Sephora is known for having leadership that "consistently executed a thoughtful growth strategy" ("Forbes"). By October 1999, Sephora.com was live, followed by the release of its first catalog the next year.  in 2003 Sephora launched its customer loyalty program the Beauty Insider. The program's aid is to allow customers to earn points as they buy. the more points you add the more eligible for small gifts. there are three tiers for the points system, the starter is the beauty insider, VIB, and VIB Rouge. Adding the beauty bar implements the founder's purpose a step further to try before you buy. By 2005, Sephora had opened 100 stores in the United States. 

The year was 2006 when Sephora formed a partnership with JCPenney, establishing Sephora as a small section within JCPenney stores. By the time the partnership ended, there were 667 Sephora departments in JCPenney locations. (Forbes) One of the most significant store openings occurred with the launch of the 300th store in Las Vegas Another major milestone was in 2004 and 2005, when Sephora opened its first store in Canada and Shanghai, China, marking its venture into the Asian market and setting its first other country than the United States. In 2007, Sephora expanded into the Middle East with a new store in Dubai. The year 2011 saw further expansion with Sephora's entry into Latin America through a store in Mexico City and into Southeast Asia with a store in Malaysia. In 2014, Sephora reached Sydney, Australia, followed by Mumbai, India in 2015. Each of these openings represented steps in Sephora's strategy to globalize and diversify its market presence, adapting to each culture's trends and tastes. 

Works Cited

Schwanke, Crystal. “What Is the History of Sephora?” LoveToKnow, LoveToKnow, 3 May 2023, www.lovetoknow.com/life/style/what-is-history-sephora.

Loeb, Walter. "Sephora Celebrates 25 Years in the USA." Forbes, 10 July 2023, https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2023/07/10/sephora-celebrates-25-years-in-the-usa/?sh=6601116a3406.