LUSH confirms commitment to UK high streets with projected spend of almost £11m this Financial Year

Image credit: Niall Hastie

In line with the opening of its largest shop in Scotland on 8th December, Lush continues projected spend of £10.6m in UK shops before the end of the Financial Year, expanding the number of retail shops, relocating and improving existing shops, and elevating the customer experience.

The investment is a £8m+ increase on the company’s announced investment in FY23 for the UK.

Lush Head of Retail Stores UK&I, Kasey Swithenbank, emphasises why Lush is committed to elevating customer experience through its shops:

“We know that physical retail spaces contribute to lasting memories. There are certain times throughout our lives that require physical retail, the purchasing of a wedding dress, buying your child’s first pair of shoes, going out shopping with friends for the first time as a teenager. At Lush, we’re committed to creating spaces that contribute to our customers being able to create lasting memories with their friends and family and our blend between traditional retailing and experiential retailing highlights this.”

A majority spend of the investment, open in time for Christmas, was Lush’s new shop in Glasgow City boasting 20,000 sq ft, extending over the basement, ground and three upper floors. 

The 4 days following opening welcomed 37,000 visitors to the shop with sales nearly doubling compared to the same period last year, topping the charts of all Lush shops across the UK. Over 7000 bath bombs were sold (more than 150 every hour).  

The new anchor shop also houses exciting concepts for the brand, along with a huge number of innovative new products, such as Lush lifestyle items available to purchase, including clothing, cosmetic bags, pins and soap dishes.

Combining beauty services with space for a Lush Shampoo Bar, Lush Parties and skin and hair care consultations, the new store is the retail destination shopping experience their loyal Glasgow customers deserve.
An additional floor in February 2024 will follow to include Lush’s transformative Lush Spa with a brand new Scotland-themed spa treatment on the horizon. 

There’s also an in-store cafe hosted by Plant Blonde, an independent vegan coffee shop who currently have a store in Glasgow west end, selling coffees and award winning pastries.

Lush’s timing was intentional, as was returning to Covent Garden 10 years on from its former shop.  Initially a festive pop-up store with a retail space of 255 sqm, in Spring 2024 an expansion of an additional 176 sqm will follow to include the Lush Spa.

From the 10th to 24th December, the interactive and family-friendly experience features five maze-like rooms to explore, inspired by Lush favourites, including ‘Intergalactic’, ‘The Snow Fairy Kingdom’, ‘Lord of Misrule’ and, of course, ‘Santa’s Grotto’.

The floor features different textures, colour moods and scents, and visitors are able to experience a bath bomb product making workshop for Groovy Fairy or Intergalactic bath bomb as part of their booking – and of course, receive a gift from Santa to take home. Tickets can be booked via Eventbrite for £25 pp or £80 for a family of four*.

Lush Liverpool Spa is the world’s largest Lush shop with a total retail space of 1814 sqm. Showcasing an array of exciting projects such as the in-store Shampoo Bar, a florist and a Perfume Library, Lush Liverpool is home to ideas that have been within the company for years. The third floor retail space of 392 sqm previously took part in ‘Cinema in the City’ with FACT. They also hosted art exhibitions including four installations of the 11th Biennial edition, ‘The Stomach and the Port’ and displayed All Out’s International LGBT+ Photo Exhibition in collaboration with MTV. Lush Liverpool regularly collaborates with Homotopia for events like LightNight and organises Drag Brunches with Filla Crack and Dross as well as Liverpool’s Queer Comedy Nights.

Investing in Community

Lush also opened its new shop in Teeside in December, gifting the first 100 customers a goody bag of surprise products creating a buzz with the local community, offering the same for its new Aberdeen relocation in November.

Community is a priority with the retailer’s strategy, and for North Wales, a first shop opening there in Broughton in July was well received, as Centre Manager of Broughton shopping park expressed before the opening:
“This is a really exciting moment for us at Broughton as we get set to open the doors to yet another iconic brand that will continue to strengthen our beauty and wellness offering.
“We know our visitors across North Wales have been eagerly awaiting the opening of the first Lush store in the region.”

In Kingston Upon-Thames, Lush opened the doors debuting its new shop layout design, paying homage to the history of its Kingston store by bringing back several exclusive cult-classic products from over the years, chosen by Kingston staff and customers.

The Kingston retail experience highlights iconic Lush inventions from the 1980s including the shampoo bar and the bath bomb, a wall of returning Lush classics, as well as an array of ethical gifts and Knot Wraps – Lush’s ethical alternative to single-use gift wrap.

However, for Lush CEO, Mark Constantine, Lush opening its first standalone HairLab on 2nd December was a particular highlight. The first of its kind in the country, Lush’s Brighton HairLab at 79 Trafalgar Street features no chemical hair dyes, recycles 100% of its salon waste and champions diversity, with texture-specialist hair artists, quiet hours and specialist workshops.
With a commitment to a more sustainable and inclusive approach to hairdressing and barbering, the salon invites clients to embrace their individuality and leave feeling their best selves.

As Lush opens new shops across the UK and Ireland, many new job opportunities are created, with Lush recently announcing 1000+ new roles.
As a Living Wage Employer, which is 10% employee owned, Lush has recently been named for the 3rd year one of the Financial Times Europe’s Diversity Leaders. Other recent accolades include being highlighted as Forbes/Statista ‘Top Companies for Women’, alongside ‘World’s Best Employers’.

Lush Co-Founder Helen Ambrosen shares her thoughts on the recognition of Lush being a top company for women:

“A culture which enables women to pursue their long term career ambitions and has brought their influence and ideas to the company. LUSH has benefited greatly from their hard work and commitment. We are so proud to see this has been recognised with this award and we dedicate it to them.”

NOTES TO EDITOR

About Lush Retail:

Lush Retail is a network of independent shops, run by passionate individuals that work for their local customers.
Our shops are at the heart of their local communities, and surprise people with exciting products and genuine care, at a time where human contact is priceless.
We invite millions of visitors into our stores annually, providing expert, tailored advice to ensure our customers’ needs are met from our orchestrated range of around 400 core products.
As well as sharing their knowledge with customers, our employees are day makers, dedicated to bringing joy to your shopping experience.
Our core shops are the foundation of the businesses, reflecting our values and are filled with a product for every need.
Our larger stores are experience-led and experimental. Within them, you might find some exclusive products, a spa or hair salon offering bespoke handmade treatments to transform your day, and other new innovative concepts which are always in development.
We also like to get out and about in our communities, so you might see a Snow Fairy pop up round the corner or find us hosting a Bath Bomb making party
We pride ourselves on our 5-star service and our passion for revolutionising the industry.

The first shop opened in Poole, Dorset where it still remains as the heart of Lush business ventures today. There are now over 100 shops in the UK and Ireland, and over 886 worldwide in 52 countries.

For further information or interview opportunities with Lush’s Retail Leadership team, please email [email protected].

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