Cosmetics retailer Lush has announced plans to invest £7.6m in new shops, relocations and redesigns across the UK, Ireland and Europe in the next 12 months.
The Poole-headquartered business has confirmed nine new shop projects in the UK and Ireland, including in Ipswich, London Victoria station, Glasgow; and Dumdrum in Ireland.
The cash will also be used for 23 store projects in Europe, including eight in France; five in Germany; as well as Spain; Hungary; Austria; The Netherlands; Sweden; Italy; and Czech Republic.
Last week, the company agreed a new 15-year lease on a building on Buchanan Street, in Glasgow, for £900k a year – and is planning to use the property to open a flagship shop in the Scottish city in 2023. The building extends over the basement, ground and three upper floors, totalling approximately 20,000 sq ft.
Lush has also just doubled the size of its Bluewater shop, in Dartford, which opened earlier this month.
Paul Wheatley, Lush global property director, said: “Physical retail has always been important to us, as it enables us to provide our customers with exceptional, award-winning service. That interaction and the conversations we have with our customers allow us to determine the product they require to meet any particular need, ensuring they always go away with the right products.”
Lush has already completed 16 new shops, store relocations and refits since January, including in Leicester, Dublin and Berlin.
“Our shops are a space for the local community to get together, our retailers and shop colleagues are involved in their local communities and we believe that high streets have the opportunity to become community hubs,” added Mr Wheatley.
In March, Lush said its shops in Russia would remain open but suspended supplies and online sales to the country amid the Ukraine crisis. The company’s 48 Russian stores cannot be shut because they are run by a Russian licensee under the legal agreement. Meanwhile, its 15 shops in Ukraine are currently closed amid the ongoing war.
