Beauty brand Sephora apologises to disability campaigner over Metrocentre launch event

Beauty brand Sephora has apologised to a woman who said she had been ignored when asking how a store opening at the Metrocentre would be accessible to those with disabilities.The woman, who did not wish to be named, has a range of mobility issues and multiple long-term health conditions.

The beauty fan was excited to learn that the international make-up retailer was to open in the North East, but after weeks of trying to contact the firm ahead of launch events in Newcastle and Gateshead, she was left frustrated after being told to just "ask a member of staff" for help.

Sephora has now been in touch with her to give what she said felt was a genuine apology.

The brand has also highlighted a range of measures in place to ensure the launch events were accessible - but admitted communication with the woman in question should have been better to explain this.A representative from Sephora also explained that inclusivity was a "key pillar" of its work and that bosses had spoken to the woman in question about how similar situations could be improved in future.

The retailer opened two stores in the region on Friday 13 September and held launch events which saw shoppers wait overnight for a chance to get their hands on sought-after beauty products.

The woman had earlier told ChronicleLive how, as a self-described beauty product "addict", she had been excited to hear of Sephora's double opening - but that the idea of having to queue for an extended period was not going to be possible given her disabilities.

She added the idea of having to approach a member of staff and tell them "I'm disabled" was not something many people with disabilities would feel comfortable doing.

The woman said she had previously had a positive experience with a launch event for another retailer, H Beauty, who she said invited her to a special pre-launch event after she explained her disabilities.

"You just don't expect it in this day and age," she said. "When I heard that Sephora was opening, I messaged them straight away asking what they had in place.

"They replied saying if you just talk to a member of staff we'll help you. You can't plan based on that.

"They said they'd escalate my complaint, but that never happened. It's just not good enough, I know I won't be the only one in this position."

After being invited in over the weekend, she told ChronicleLive she felt an apology from the store was genuine and believed the brand's desire to make amends.

She added: "I have been very impressed with what they have done. It shouldn't have happened but now they are reviewing their policies and I hope that happens."

A spokesperson for Sephora UK said: "We have taken proactive steps to make our business an inclusive place for members of the disabled community.

"All our stores and our offices are built to be disabled-friendly.

"Every store and office will have fully disabled facilities, like toilets, ramps, and fixtures far enough apart from each other so people can move around easily."We have worked with both Metrocentre and Eldon Square to develop an accessibility plan for those joining the queue in the lead up to the opening, which includes offering seating for those who are not able to stand for long periods of time, and offering a dedicated accessibility area of the queue to allow room for those who need a chair, while also giving them the best view of the house.

"All of our security, hosts, support and store teams have been briefed on allowing those with additional needs to jump the queue if needed, and we always have this in place for all our store openings."

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