By Canadian Press

WNBA’s Toronto Tempo joins forces with Sephora Canada in first sponsor partnership

Jan 9, 2025 | 5:15 AM

TORONTO — Toronto Tempo president Teresa Resch believes the WNBA expansion team has found a kindred spirit in Sephora Canada as the basketball franchise’s “founding partner and official beauty partner.”

“It really hits home because Sephora’s slogan is ‘We belong to something beautiful.’ And that’s what we’re trying to create. And that’s what I think we are at the Toronto Tempo,” Resch said in an interview.

With its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, Sephora is a perfect partner, says Resch.

“It’s great because the brands are so aligned,” she said. “Ultimately Sephora is really about individuality, diversity, belonging. And so are we.”

“It’s a big name. It talks to our audience,” she added. “It’s going to talk to a brand new audience. We’re really excited to have them on board.”

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Sephora’s logo will adorn the team’s jersey when the Tempo begin play in 2026. And the partnership will also be prominent via retail outlets, social media and in-arena programming.

WNBA team jerseys come with three sponsor patch areas. The back of the jersey is reserved for a league-wide partner (AT&T last season) with the other spaces in front on the abdomen and shoulder.

Sephora will be on one of the two front jersey areas. Toronto expects to unveil its jersey a year from now.

Allison Litzinger, senior vice-president of marketing for Sephora Canada, says her company “jumped at the chance” to partner with the Toronto team after learning the league was expanding to Canada.

“We are just so excited to help fuel the momentum of the women’s sports in Canada,” she said.

“The team specifically has had a bigger mission to really belong to all Canadians,” Litzinger added. “And from Sephora’s perspective, our positioning is really around belonging.”

Owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Sephora operates more than 2,500 stores in 32 countries worldwide, including 129 in Canada.

Sephora U.S. has already partnered with Unrivaled, a new professional 3×3 women’s basketball league scheduled to tip off Jan. 17.

The Unrivaled league, founded by New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart and the Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa (Phee) Collier, is a bid to provide an alternative source of competition and income for WNBA players during the off-season rather than having to go overseas to play.

That partnership includes “outfitting the league’s new glam room at Unrivaled’s purpose-built facility (in Miami), and providing all beauty needs throughout the season across a curated selection of product offerings.”

Sephora was also an official partner of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic torch relays.

Toronto was awarded a WNBA team last May, becoming the league’s first franchise outside the United States. The new team will be owned and operated by Kilmer Sports Ventures, which reportedly paid US$115 million for the WNBA team.

Kilmer’s chairman is Larry Tanenbaum, who doubles as chair of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the NBA Raptors, NHL Maple Leafs and AHL Marlies, MLS’s Toronto FC, and CFL’s Argonauts

The WNBA team will primarily play out of the 8,700-seat Coca-Cola Coliseum, home to the Marlies.

Resch spent the last 10 years with the Raptors, helping to design and build the NBA team’s practice facility, the OVO Athletic Centre, and launching the Raptors 905, Toronto’s NBA G-League affiliate based in Mississauga, Ont.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 9, 2025

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press