Sephora, Gap Inc., J.Crew Group, and Ben & Jerry's are among 28 retail industry leaders taking a first-of-its-kind national pledge to implement strategies aimed at addressing racially biased and unfair treatment in retail.

The Mitigate Racial Bias in Retail Charter was inspired by the Racial Bias in Retail Study, a groundbreaking national study commissioned by Sephora that explored how BIPOC shoppers experience discrimination in retail settings. The report found that two in five US retailer shoppers have personally experienced unfair treatment based on their race or skin tone, and that BIPOC retail shoppers were three times more likely than white shoppers to feel most often judged by their appearance. 

Initiated by Open to All and Sephora in 2022, the charter is a multi-stakeholder collaboration aiming to implement tactics and actions to reduce racially biased interactions during the shopper experience and create an environment that is truly welcoming to all. Open to All and Sephora partnered on this work, with Open to All convening its Inclusive Retail members to apply the study's findings with the goal of collaboration and collective impact across the retail sector. 

"The study underscored the pervasiveness of unfair treatment of BIPOC shoppers in retail spaces throughout this country," said Calla Rongerude, Director of Open to All. "We believe the retail industry should have a zero-tolerance discrimination policy. With the commitments from these companies, we can begin to address the problem, act, and start to make shopping more inclusive. Our goal is to create an environment that is truly open to all. We hope companies across the retail sector will join us, sign the Charter, and work together to create meaningful impact and share best practices."

Starting with the Charter, this growing collaboration also includes the development of resources and education, including training materials and an annual in-person convention. 

"At Sephora, diversity, equity, and inclusion have long been core to our mission since our US debut more than 20 years ago—but we recognized that the retail experience has not always been welcoming," said Jean-André Rougeot, President and CEO, Sephora Americas. "When we first commissioned the Racial Bias in Retail Study in 2019, it was our intent that the findings would serve as useful insights for the entire retail sector, including Sephora." 

By signing the Charter, the retailers acknowledge that racially biased and unfair treatment exists broadly in our society and, as such, can impact the retail experience. They have all pledged to design and implement actions that mitigate racial bias in the shopper experience, help foster inclusive shopping experiences for all, and work together to share best practices across the retail industry to drive change. 

The US retailers that have joined the Charter to date are American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (American Eagle, Aerie), Ascena Retail Group (Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant, Loft, Lou & Grey), Ben & Jerry's, Capri Holdings (Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, Versace), CarMax, Crocs, Dick's', Gap, Inc. (Athleta, Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy), H&M, J.Crew Group, Levi Strauss & Co., Michaels, Movado Group, Tapestry (Coach, Kate Spade, Stuart Weitzman), rue 21, Sephora, and Zara.

Rougeout said, "We celebrate those that have joined and encourage others to sign on, as it's not about perfection, it's about a commitment to progress for shoppers today and tomorrow."