Wave Staffing - Case Study

Case Study: Wave Staffing, the grand opening of the Sephora retail outlet at the iconic Westgate Oxford

Background

Three weeks ago, Sephora unveiled its brand-new retail outlet at Westgate Oxford with a three-day launch spanning Friday to Sunday. 

The opening drew significant local attention with over 1000+ visitors per day, marking a key milestone for Sephora’s expansion across Europe. 

The event was managed by Fourthwall, the marketing agency appointed to oversee Sephora’s European retail launches, who approached Wave Staffing to provide experienced personnel to deliver an inclusive and seamless customer experience across all three days.

Client Objectives

The client’s primary goal was to create an inclusive, high-energy launch event accessible to all visitor types, reflecting Sephora’s commitment to diversity and well-being. 

A central part of this goal was the creation of an ADHD-friendly immersive session on the Sunday, designed to provide a calmer, more sensory-conscious environment for guests. 

Crowd engagement, entertainment, safety, and accessibility were key priorities throughout the weekend.

Our engagement approach

Following the initial consultation with Fourthwall, the Wave Staffing team developed a tailored staffing plan focused on visitor welfare, brand experience, and operational control. 

A carefully selected team of Welfare Officers, Brand Hosts, and Event Security personnel was deployed to meet the specific objectives of the event.

Role	Responsibilities
Welfare Officers	ensured guest comfort and accessibility management. They were stationed across the queues and immersive zones, providing discreet assistance to those with sensory or mobility needs.
Brand Hosts	acted as the welcoming face of Sephora, energising visitors, managing product giveaways, and sustaining the celebratory atmosphere.
Security	maintained queue management, coordinated entry flow, and supported the crowd control strategy during peak hours.

Throughout the opening, Wave Staffing supervisors remained in direct contact with Fourthwall and Sephora’s on-site management, allowing dynamic adjustments to deployment as visitor numbers grew. 

Reserve staff were also sent in on Thursday evening to support additional product handling. 

Results and Highlights

Over the three days, an estimated 3,000 customers queued to experience the new store. 

The launch retained momentum throughout the weekend, with excellent feedback from both the client and the visiting public.

The inclusive design and attentive staffing received particular praise, especially for how smoothly accessibility support was handled across the different visitor groups.

The Sunday ADHD immersive session delivered an especially positive impact, providing a calm environment that reflected Sephora’s inclusive brand ethos and Wave Staffing’s sensitivity in supporting diverse guests.

With social media also awash with content from the 3 days led by make up and fashion industry influencers 

Client Testimonial

“ The event was a great success, thanks to your team — the crowd was hyped and happy throughout the weekend! I believe we had over 3,000 customers queuing in total.

I wanted to say a special thanks to both Janie and Harshaad. Janie held the accessibility queue down brilliantly and allowed us to get on with other things, and Harshaad was an all-round star!

Thank you for being so accommodating and arranging a great team for us, and also for sending reserves in on Thursday night to help with the product! 

Hope to work with you guys again soon!”

Conclusion

The Sephora Westgate Oxford opening exemplified Wave Staffing’s ability to deliver high-quality, adaptive event staffing for large-scale retail launches. 

Through close collaboration with Fourthwall and Sephora, our team ensured the brand’s global standards were matched by an exceptional on-the-ground experience for every visitor.

This project reaffirmed Wave Staffing’s strength in inclusive event operations, offering clients more than staffing alone—true partnership in creating memorable, inclusive, and well-managed brand experiences.

Without doubt one of the event highlights of the year! 

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