J.C. Penney files suit as Sephora looks to exit department store chain

The honeymoon between J.C. Penney Co. and Sephora USA Inc. is over.

The ailing department store company filed a temporary restraining order against Sephora in an attempt to prevent the LVMH-owned beauty giant from closing its in-store shops in J.C. Penney stores, some of which are being reopened, reported CNBC.

Sephora and Penney have had a joint enterprise operating agreement since Feb. 1, 2009. Sephora is Penney’s only beauty partner. There are about 600 in-store Sephora shops In Penney. Sephora reportedly wants to end the contract in April 2021, according to the Dallas Morning News.

“JCPenney filed a temporary restraining order so Sephora could not prevent JCPenney from reopening Sephora inside JCPenney (SiJCP) locations,” Penney spokesperson Brooke Buchanan said in a statement on Monday, the CNBC report said. “We remain committed to working together to drive sustainable, profitable growth, as SiJCP continues to be a beauty destination that serves millions of customers each year.”