John Lewis is doubling down on its beauty segment with the completion of a multi-million-pound overhaul to its store portfolio.
The British retail business’ stores on Oxford Street, High Wycombe and Cheadle are the first to install updated and larger beauty halls.
The spaces now include 41 beauty counters and shop-in-shop concepts, as well as a dedicated fragrance section.
The halls now host 175 beauty brands, including new additions such as The Inkey List, MAC, Skin+Me, Nudestix, Kilian, Parfum de Marly, Loewe and The Ordinary.
John Lewis has also created a ‘hair zone’ with a dedicated hair tech area that allows customers to try products from brands including Shark, GHD and Dyson.
Beauty, skin care and hair care services will also be available to customers.
Beauty has become a core part of the company’s retail strategy with beauty sales up 7% for the first half of 2024, said Helen Spencer, Head of Beauty at John Lewis.
The segment also accounts for 62% of sales in its physical stores, with online beauty sales amounting to 38%.
“Beauty is really important to us as a business,” Spencer added.
“It accounts for 15% of the business, it is a market that's in growth, and that's why we put it front and centre of the shop, and now I am really proud that it anchors across all of the entrances to the front of the boxes as well, with the extension to the fragrance hall.”
The investment into its physical stores has also marked a shift in the department store chain’s overarching business plans.
"We haven't been spending enough on our stores, but we're really getting into that now," Executive Director for John Lewis, Peter Ruis, admitted.
John Lewis has spent £126m on its physical stores this year, with plans to invest an estimated £136m into its overall portfolio for 2025.
"The buzz is back in John Lewis and we're giving our customers even more reasons to shop in our brilliant stores,” Ruis added.
“We're backing ourselves with significant investment to ensure customers get the exceptional quality, outstanding service and competitive prices they love about our unique brand."