Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsUK NewsLUSH swings to £4m loss

LUSH swings to £4m loss

Lush has just opened the doors to the biggest store yet in its global estate, featuring a new concept fit-out and strong customer experience focus. The retailer has taken a three-floor, 14,854 sq ft unit, formerly a Dorothy Perkins and Burton shop, on Church Street in central Liverpool as it expands its presence in the north west city.

The new store features a permanent florist, a hair salon, a perfume library, a coffee and tea kiosk, a party area offering party packs, and a spa area split into six different treatment rooms for services like massages and facials. The new store has replaced Lush’s previous and smaller Liverpool store and it’s also five times bigger.

The retailer said it’s possible to fit nine million bath bombs into the new store. ‘At a time when revitalisation is needed more than ever, the new destination shop on 38-46 Church Street aims to bring more innovation and creative personal experiences than ever before to the high street’ – Lush said in a statement.

‘Lush Liverpool will have a new concept style fit out and will host an array of exciting new projects, some of which been ideas within the company for years.’ Lush managing director and co-founder Mark Constantine said: “We’ve had a lot of experience in [Liverpool] for a long time and the new shop is geared up to what I hope our customers here need.”

The store opening comes amid Lush’s financial results for the full year period ending June 30, 2018. The cosmetics retailer said total brand turnover was is marginally down by 0.8 per cent year-on-year to £987.4 million, although this was 3.3 per cent higher than last year at consistent exchange rates.

Sales in its largest retail market of the US fell by 7.5 per cent, reflecting reduced levels of footfall during the year. Meanwhile, group operating profit before exceptional items decreased by £26.7 million, swinging from a profit of £22.7 million to a loss of £4 million.

Lush said the decline was due to main costs increasing at a greater rate than sales, namely cost of goods, shop and manufacturing staff costs, shop premises costs and sales and administration costs. Lush currently trades from 105 UK and Ireland branches.

RECENT ARTICLES