Coronavirus: Glossier closes all retail stores in response to pandemic

‘We’ll sacrifice some business goals, but we’re prepared to put public health ahead of our bottom line,’ company’s founder states

Glossier pop-up shop in Santa Monica, California, 4 June 2015 (Getty Images)

Glossier has announced it has temporarily closed the doors of all of its stores in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement shared on the cosmetic company’s Instagram account and website, the firm’s founder and CEO Emily Weiss stated that they came to the “difficult decision” to close all stores for at least the next two weeks “to help mitigate the spread of Covid-19“.

Weiss outlined that this measure affects the company’s permanent and temporary stores across New York, Los Angeles, London and Atlanta, in addition to delaying the scheduled opening of a new shop in Arizona.

The latest WHO situation report states there have been more than 125,000 cases of the virus confirmed across the world, in addition to more than 4,600 deaths.

“This obviously a fluid situation, so we’ll be monitoring and adjusting our plans and timeline accordingly,” Weiss said.

“From a company perspective, by closing our stores, we’ll sacrifice some near-term business goals, but we’re prepared to put public health ahead of our bottom line.”

Weiss explained that the company’s “offline editors”, who are salespeople in stores, “are the living embodiment of our brand and ethos”.

“So we’ll be compensating them for their scheduled time throughout our planned two weeks of closure,” she said.

The chief executive also cited an article published in Atlantic titled “Cancel Everything”, in which the piece’s author Yascha Mounk writes that “anyone in a position of power or authority, instead of downplaying the dangers of the coronavirus, should ask people to stay away from public places, cancel big gatherings, and restrict most forms of nonessential travel”.

Weiss stated that as a “first-time CEO running a five-year-old startup through its first global crisis”, she read the article “with a heavy heart”.

She explained that she decided to take action by closing the Glossier stores now, as opposed to closing the shops in response to fewer customers walking through the door amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Weiss continued, praising the company’s “incredible online editors” and stating that the firm’s 250-person HQ team “has been working hard since 2014 to create the ultimate beauty e-commerce experience”.

She explained that the company is going to “try to use this moment to spin up new, creative ways to foster community and connection”, such as with the use of its FaceTime programme it trialled a few years ago where consumers could take enquire about products.

“We’re not alarmists, we’re realists,” Weiss said at the end of her statement.

“While this may not be the right decision for every company, it’s the one where we feel we can make an impact.”

Weiss concluded her message by issuing some choice words to other business owners, saying: “Remember your core values during this time – this is when they matter most.”

She then directly addressed Glossier’s customer base telling them to “remember the power of adaptability”.

“Stay present, be responsible, and try to lean into warmth and openness when you want to close off and pull down the shades. This is a time for us to remember our humanity.”

The World Health Organisation recommends that people clean their hands regularly and thoroughly, washing them for at least 20 seconds with water and soap or hand sanitiser.

If you have any coronavirus symptoms or have recently travelled to an affected area, contact the NHS helpline on 111 and do not visit your GP or hospital.