Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/231459
r e t a I l I n g t o d a y soap opera quirky u.k. brand lush is expanding its presence in north america I By Bennett Voyles n a cosmetics market divided between the slick and the slicker, U.k.-based Lush goes a very different way. its bright, unpackaged soaps and other beauty products are heaped up in aluminum buckets on wooden tables labeled with chalk signs, creating an effect that lies somewhere between a high-end organic-vegetables store and a florist's shop. Launched in 1994 by husband and wife mark and mo constantine, former suppliers to the Body shop, Lush now has 800 outlets worldwide, and counting. the concept grew out of the ruins of a shortlived mail-order cosmetics business. But the constantines' failure in mail order then has been outpaced by their roaring success now. today the Lush empire spans 45 countries, and the private company continues to grow. Lush operates 140 shops in the U.s. 24 SC t / J a n u a r y 2 0 1 4 and 48 in canada and has plans to open 23 in north america this year and 34 next year. the north american shops are owned and operated by a Lush subsidiary, says alyssa Gates, Lush's director of U.s. real estate. But in some countries, including France, the netherlands and russia, single-store franchises are available, according to the Lush website. in some ways the company is quite conventional. For instance, it seeks top shopping destinations that have high traffic and high visibility. Lush likes "a mix of streets, super-regional shopping centers and tourist destinations," said Gates. and the stores require relatively little space — perhaps 900 square feet. But in other ways, Lush is decidedly, perhaps cheekily — and even confrontationally — unconventional. the chain is committed to a number of political