Glossier announces temporary closures, postpones Arizona opening due to coronavirus

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Mar 13, 2020

Cult beauty brand Glossier has announced that in response to the coronavirus outbreak, it will be temporary closing all of its retail locations worldwide for at least two weeks,  effective March 13. 

Emily Weiss, the chief executive officer and founder of Glossier, explained the decision via a statement on the Glossier website. 

"We’ve made the difficult decision to close all our current permanent and temporary retail locations (New York, Los Angeles, London, and Atlanta) for at least the next two weeks to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19," Weiss said.

"We will also delay the opening of Glossier Arizona, which was scheduled for next Wednesday. This is obviously a fluid situation, so we’ll be monitoring and adjusting our plans and timeline accordingly."

The decision to temporarily close, Weiss said, was difficult given the five-year-old brand's focus on community and in-person interactions, with its stores and showrooms regularly bringing in thousands eager to take photos inside the Instagram-friendly shops. 

Weiss added that the company will be compensating its employees for their scheduled time throughout the planned two-week closure.

"To everyone reading: We’re not alarmists, we’re realists. While this may not be the right decision for every company, it’s the one where we feel we can make an impact," Weiss continued.

Glossier's decision comes as companies worldwide implement precautions against Covid-19, with fashion weeks being canceled, travel restrictions being put in place and workers being asked to work from home in order to fight the outbreak.