Sports and Media
LVMH-owned Sephora Canada is Founding Partner of WNBA’s Toronto Tempo
Jasmeen Dugal
Contributor
Canada’s first Women’s National Basketball Association team collaborates with LVMH-owned Sephora Canada as Founding Partner and Official Beauty Partner of Toronto Tempo. The prestige beauty retailer, whose logo will adorn Tempo jerseys when play begins in 2026, shares a foundational set of values with the team.
Sephora Canada will bring its partnership with the Toronto Tempo to life through integrated campaigns that will include community programming, retail activations, social media integrations and in-arena programming.
“With the launch of the Toronto Tempo, we’re changing the game for girls, for women, for sports fans and for all Canadians. And we couldn’t be more thrilled that Sephora Canada will be our partners on this journey,” concludes Resch. “The impact of this historic partnership will be felt across Canada for years to come.”
“From day one, we’ve been building so much more than a sports team with the Toronto Tempo – we’ve been building a community,” says Toronto Tempo President Teresa Resch. “And there is no brand in Canada better suited to help us deliver on that vision than Sephora Canada. This is one of the most deeply inclusive, purpose-driven, passionate organisations in this country, and they’re going to work hand-in-hand with us to elevate women’s sport in Canada in unprecedented ways.”
A report from Deloitte late last year indicated that women’s elite sports will generate more than $1 billion in global revenue in 2024 for the first time ever, outpacing their original valuation three years ago by 300 percent. Sports like soccer and basketball are projected to perform best with the largest geographical markets in North America and Europe.
For Sephora Canada, however, the multi-year Toronto Tempo relationship is more than a brand partnership, it’s an opportunity to harness the power of sport to transform the way Canadians perceive beauty and encourage inclusivity. This commitment reflects their shared desire to champion individuality and diversity.
Sephora’s philanthropic arm- Sephora Stands- is doing a lot to make the beauty space more inclusive and diverse by supporting women-owned brands with its beauty incubator Accelerate and developing a support network for employees suffering from domestic violence. And, in 2020 Sephora launched Diversity and Inclusion Heart Journey to support its vision of becoming the Diversity- Inclusion- and Equity Champion in the retail industry.
“We jumped at the chance to help build this team from the ground up and shape the cultural conversation in Canada around beauty and basketball through our partnership with the Toronto Tempo,” says Allison Litzinger, SVP, Marketing, Sephora Canada. “Women’s basketball embraces the unique identities of athletes who bring their full selves to the game, on and off the court, and it has the power to bring so many diverse people together through a shared passion. By celebrating the Beauty of Sport and the inspiring women who fuel it, we’ll show Canadians that we all belong to something beautiful.”
The Toronto Tempo will begin playing at Toronto’s Coca-Cola Coliseum in 2026.
About Sephora
Since it was founded in 1969 by Dominique Mandonnaud in Limoges, France and as part of the world’s leading luxury goods group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton since 1997, Sephora is a global leader in beauty retail, renowned for its curated selection of close to five hundred skincare, makeup, fragrance, and hair care brands. And, its own label, Sephora Collection.
Known for its innovative retail concept, Sephora blends an engaging, experiential shopping environment with a diverse portfolio of prestige and emerging beauty brands. The company is celebrated for empowering consumers through inclusivity, offering personalised beauty services, expert consultations, and an extensive range of products to suit all skin tones, types, and preferences.
Sephora’s ascent has a lot to do with Mandonnaud’s business acumen and approach to merchandising. The “assisted self-service” experience encouraging consumers to test products before purchase has evolved Sephora into a powerful global brand. Of course credit also goes to its continually evolving product portfolio including prolific brands like NARS- Urban Decay- Lancôme- YSL Beauty- and Bobbi Brown Cosmetics; niche beauty brands like Bare Essentials- Benefit and vegan make-up Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics; and its own line of make-up- skincare and beauty tools. Exclusive brands like Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez and Fenty Beauty by Rihanna were brought to the market fby Sephora.
Operating in thirty-four markets, Sephora connects customers and beauty brands with personalised and immersive experiences across its omnichannel network of more than three thousand stores and flagships, e-commerce and digital platforms.
Diversity and Inclusion at Sephora
At Sephora, its diversity and inclusion mission is simple: to never stop championing all beauty fearlessly and building inclusive environments for employees, consumers, and communities. In 2019, Sephora announced a new manifesto, “We Belong to Something Beautiful,” to reinforce its dedication to fostering belonging among all clients and employees and to publicly strive for a more inclusive vision for retail in the Americas.
In 2020 Sephora launched its Diversity and Inclusion Heart Journey to support its vision of becoming the Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Champion in retail. The beauty retailer is committed to creating a culture of belonging. In 2020 Sephora became the first major retailer to take the 15 Percent Pledge, committing fifteen percent of its assortment to prestige black-owned companies.
To continue its commitment to bringing diversity, equity, and inclusion to the core of its mission, Sephora has also dedicated its annual Sephora Accelerate program to brands with founders of colour.
About Toronto Tempo
In May 2024, the Women’s National Basketball Association announced its expansion into Canada by awarding Toronto an expansion team, the league’s first outside the United States. The new team, owned and operated by Kilmer Sports Ventures, will begin play in the 2026 season as the WNBA’s fourteenth franchise. Sephora Canada is the team’s first announced founding partner. Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of Kilmer Sports Ventures and a thirty-year veteran of building championship-caliber teams, is also Chairman of the NBA Board of Governors and Chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, MLS’ Toronto FC and other professional sports franchises. Under his leadership, the Raptors won their first NBA championship in 2019.
“Tempo is pace. It’s speed. It’s a heartbeat. And it’s what you feel when you step into the streets of this city, and in the energy of the people who call Canada home,” says Teresa Resch, President of the Toronto Tempo. “As Canada’s WNBA team, I know the Tempo will set our own pace, move at a championship cadence, and inspire people across this country.”