Key Takeaways:
When Hailey Bieber’s rhode debuted at Sephora in the US and the UK earlier this month, the launch turned into what Chief Executive Guillaume Motte called the French retailer’s “biggest ever.”
“Crazy lines, crazy numbers,” Motte said of rhode at the National Retail Federation’s first global event in Paris. The blockbuster launch highlighted Sephora’s strategy of curated brands, with half of its products holding an exclusivity agreement with Sephora.
“That’s at the heart of our success,” the French executive said on the curation of brands at Sephora, which added 49 new names since January.
The approach has helped Sephora triple sales in the past ten years, Motte said. Sephora is already present in 35 markets, with 3,400 stores and 74 million loyalty program users.
In 2024, Sephora reported sales growth across all its regions, according to a presentation showcased during the event. In North America, its largest market, sales rose 7%, with the US up 9% and Canada 10%. In Europe, revenue advanced 21%, with the UK climbing 37%, Spain 31%, Germany 28%, Italy 23%, and France 9%. In the Middle East, sales increased 22%, including gains of 22% in Saudi Arabia and 21% in the United Arab Emirates. In Latin America, revenue jumped 39%, fueled by Mexico at 44% and Brazil at 35%.
“If we look at the post-COVID period, we’ve nearly doubled ourselves since then,” Motte said. “To give you a number, we shared €16 billion ($18 billion) a few years back—so you can guess where to place that figure on the chart,” he added, referring to the presentation.
At a time when the way consumers shop is changing amid growing competition from online players like Amazon Premium Beauty stores and TikTok Shop, retail’s survival depends on excitement, Motte said.
“Boring retail is dead. But exciting retail—this is alive and kicking,” he said.
Overall, Motte frames the company’s success on product, experience, community, and teams as its key pillars.
On the first pillar, Sephora’s offering, “one out of two products we sell can only be found at Sephora,” Motte said. The company employs “merchants,” not buyers, to curate assortments with “a point of view on beauty.” Dior Backstage was co-created with Sephora teams, while Drunk Elephant started with a soap bar Tiffany Masterson brought into Sephora’s offices. Makeup by Mario’s founder began as a Sephora greeter before becoming a global name.
The second pillar is experience. “During COVID, everyone said the store was dead. All of this was bullshit. Customers, especially Gen Z, want to go to the store,” Motte said.
Sephora is opening roughly 200 new stores, each featuring interactive “beauty hubs” with foundation scanners and skin diagnostics synced to online profiles. So far this year, the company has opened 178 new locations and 11 remodels.
“Experience is not only about fun and discovery. Experience is also about embracing technology, so our advisors are even better equipped,” he said.
Digital and physical are increasingly blurred, too. “We do roughly a third of our business online. Honestly, I don’t even know how to define an online sale anymore. Buy online, pick up in store—is that digital or physical? I don’t know and I don’t care. We’re truly omni,” Motte said.
The third pillar is community, anchored by 74 million active loyalty members worldwide, he said.
“At the top tier, it’s about offering what money can’t buy—masterclasses, special access—making them feel part of the community,” Motte said. Sephoria, the retailer’s traveling beauty festival, has already landed in Shanghai and Paris and will soon expand to Dubai in November. Sephoria US is planned for the beginning of 2026.
For Motte, the message is clear: “Retail offers a lot of opportunities, but it’s on the retailer and the brand partners to create this excitement.”
