Actor and beauty entrepreneur Tracee Ellis Ross has taken on the role of diversity and inclusion adviser at Ulta Beauty as the retailer looks to “further champion diversity.”
View Gallery
Related Gallery
A History of Fashion in the Black Civil Rights Movement
In 2021, Ulta plans to double the number of Black-owned beauty brands in its assortment to 26, and spend more than $4 million in marketing support for those businesses to “fuel brand awareness and sustain growth.”
Adding new Black-owned brands could increase the percentage of Black-owned brands in Ulta’s assortment to just over 4 percent, given the 627 brands the company sells now. In August, 13 of Ulta’s 624 brands were Black-owned. Since then, more brands have been added to the lineup, including Black Opal. Mented Cosmetics, Keys Soulcare and Black Girl Sunscreen will enter Ulta in February, the company said.
The retailer is launching an advertising campaign meant to celebrate and amplify Black voices in beauty that has placements during the “Today” show, “Good Morning America” and “This Is Us.” The campaign features Black women and executives, including Sundial CEO Cara Sabin, Briogeo founder Nancy Twine and Carol’s Daughter founder Lisa Price. Ulta is also allocating $20 million for advertisements across more targeted media platforms, including BET, Essence, Univision and Telemundo, with an aim of creating more connections with Black, Latinx and other communities.
Ulta is also spending $2 million on inclusivity and unconscious bias training for store and salon workers, and has plans for similar training for field, distribution center and corporate workers.
The company said it will also invest in store associate experiences, and has established a Diverse Leaders Program to give more than 30 potential future leaders within its organization CEO and executive mentorship.
“Authenticity as an inclusive brand with welcoming experiences for all and an approachable assortment are tenets of how we champion diversity at Ulta Beauty,” Dillon said. “We look forward to sharing more as we continue on this journey with steadfast commitment from our teams and our newly established adviser Tracee Ellis Ross, who brings passion, experience and perspective to this important work.”
For more from WWD.com, see:
L’Oréal USA, NAACP Launch Black-owned Business Fund
Target and Ulta Beauty Team Up
Master Class: Tracee Ellis Ross’ CEO Lessons From Pattern Beauty’s First Year
Source: Read Full Article