John Lewis looks to beauty to drive footfall

Department store John Lewis is set to invest 9 million pounds in revamping its beauty halls across a number of its branches as it looks to use beauty to drive footfall.

Beauty is a major push for the department store as the market for face creams, makeup and perfumes continues to perform well, rising a third in the last five year.

The plan is to expand beauty halls in John Lewis branches in Cambridge, Cribbs Causeway in Bristol and Bluewater in Kent by 50 percent, while the beauty halls at Peter Jones in London’s Sloane Square, along with John Lewis stores in Cardiff, Stratford, and Cheadle will be modernised.

The aim is to bring in new brands including Marc Jacobs Beauty, Tom Ford Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury, MAC, Chanel, Jo Malone, Urban Decay and La Prairie, as it looks to boost its footfall from the beauty hall.

John Lewis buying director for fashion and beauty, Ed Connolly, said: “Beauty is one of the best performing categories at John Lewis and a significant footfall driver, so this investment is a reflection of our ambition in this space.

“We are continuing to bring new and contemporary brands to our customers across both fashion and beauty, and we have one of the widest and best beauty selections of any department store in the world.”

John Lewis to invest 9 million pounds in beauty hall revamps

The move follows the opening of John Lewis’s full-service spa in its Birmingham store, and the Clarins Beauty BAR which was an international first for Clarins when it opened at John Lewis Oxford Street last year.

In addition, earlier this month it announced that new store Chelmsford would see beauty taking the lead with the largest beauty hall out of all the John Lewis’ small full-line department stores. The Chelmsford store will have 14 premium beauty counters in a space spanning 7,900 square foot.

The refurbishments are expected to be completed by the end of October.

John Lewis isn’t the only retailer looking to beauty, Debenhams, Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury’s have all recently expanded beauty ranges to cash in on demand and boost footfall.

Image: courtesy of John Lewis