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John Lewis ushered in a \u201cnew era of beauty\u201d as it unveiled its revamped beauty hall at Liverpool One last week coupled with an exciting new partnership with Rihanna\u2019s Fenty Beauty.<\/p>\n
The transformed space marks the start of a multi-million-pound investment into the rollout of \u201cbeauty discovery destinations\u201d across the retailer\u2019s store estate, with five more makeovers scheduled for this year.<\/p>\n
Following the redesign, brands now have a larger space to play with as the business has introduced new counter concepts and shoppers can explore the latest products from big name brands including Charlotte Tilbury, Trinny London and The Ordinary.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all about the sensory experience, that\u2019s our magic dust,\u201d says Vikki Kavanagh, John Lewis\u2019 chief commercial officer, commenting on the new-look beauty hall.<\/p>\n
The store upgrades come as the department store chain is keen to capitalise on the growing demand for makeup, skincare, fragrance and haircare, which collectively has seen sales increase by over 40% in the last five years.<\/p>\n
Retail Gazette took a trip to the Liverpool One store to speak with Kavanagh and John Lewis\u2019 head of beauty Heena Mohammed about how the retailer is creating an unrivalled beauty experience for shoppers of all ages.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s new?<\/h3>\n
John Lewis Liverpool One\u2019s new beauty hall is nothing short of a beauty wonderland, spanning 16,000sq ft and carrying 132 premium brands alongside 23 new or expanded counters.<\/p>\n
The revamped space sees the launch of Fenty Beauty for the first time in one of the retailer\u2019s stores \u2013 the latest brand to join its ever growing roster \u2013 as well as the introduction of several other exclusive brands including Trinny London, Le Labo and Loewe to the city.<\/p>\n
The store is the first of six beauty hall upgrades scheduled for this year and forms the blueprint for the rest of the estate.<\/p>\n
It seemed fitting to kick off the investment at Liverpool One, which Kavanagh shares \u201cthe beauty hall here is second [in terms of sales] in our entire portfolio outside of Oxford Street\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s quite a high ranking store within our business and in certain categories, particularly beauty, we over index hugely,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Kavanagh notes the store has a wider customer reach compared to its other outlets, with many younger shoppers also coming through the doors, providing the perfect test ground for the new concept and to showcase its new brands.<\/p>\n
Following the eight week installation project, Liverpool shoppers will notice the brands on the shop floor speak much louder thanks to more personalised counters. For example, Loewe has installed a green tiled island at its counter for shoppers to explore new products, while Kilian has a mirrored wall display to showcase its array of perfumes.<\/p>\n Mohammed notes one of the biggest changes to the department is the use of zoning. \u201cCustomers prefer to shop in different tones so we put makeup together, hair care, fragrance and skin care.\u201d<\/p>\n She says that customers coming into John Lewis \u201cwant that elevated service, they want personalisation\u201d and so the retailer kept in mind the various service elements when redesigning the space \u201cto make that purchase extra special\u201d.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just shiny branded counters and marble table tops that John Lewis is hoping will pull shoppers in, the retailer is also banking on exclusive partnerships with big name brands to offer an unrivalled experience.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are one of the few places where customers can come and have a one-on-one treatment at The Ordinary,\u201d Mohammed says.<\/p>\n However, one of its biggest attractions is the new Fenty Beauty counter. It is one of the few in the world to feature the brand\u2019s makeup, hair and skin collections all in one place. It also brings the brand\u2019s web exclusive Body Lava Body Luminzer to the high street.<\/p>\n The play table in the middle of the stand is a new concept for Fenty as it moves beyond the static displays it has in the likes of Boots and Sephora.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we look at the online failed searches and the feedback that the customers were giving, this was one of the most requested brands and so we were like, \u2018We need to get this brand on board\u2019,\u201d Mohammed says.<\/p>\n At present,\u00a0Liverpool One is the only John Lewis store in the portfolio to stock the brand \u2013 but discussions are ongoing about launching Fenty Beauty in other locations too.<\/p>\n The way customers are buying their beauty products is changing, with more shoppers seeking interaction during the purchase process.<\/p>\n It\u2019s one of the reasons why, Kavanagh explains, the new beauty hall format moves beyond the traditional counters and introduces play tables and more areas for consultations.<\/p>\n The Liverpool One upgrades are a step on from the revamped beauty hall in its London Oxford Street flagship, which reopened last year alongside similar transformations at John Lewis\u2019 High Wycombe and Cheadle stores.<\/p>\n Having completed one beauty hall makeover already, the retailer is keen to roll out similar changes to the rest of its estate and is starting with its Bluewater location.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re using a lot more customer demography to drive our decisions,\u201d shares Kavanagh, explaining that the combination of where the opportunity with the customer is and the need to upgrade the physical retail space will drive the investment plan.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just store changes that John Lewis is referring to when it talks about its \u201cnew era of beauty\u201d.<\/p>\n The retailer has steadily been expanding its beauty range beyond its traditional premium reach of Chanel, Clinique and Charlotte Tilbury, to include more accessible brands such as The Ordinary and Sculpted by Aimee as well as luxury labels such as Loewe and Maison Francis Kurkdjian.<\/p>\n Kavanagh says business is seeing growing demand for each end of the spectrum, noting that \u201cthe demand at the top end for us is actually outpacing the accessible growth at the moment\u201d.<\/p>\n Mohammed shares that luxury fragrance is the fastest sub-category growth for the retailer, driven in part by more and more young adults coming into stores in search of premium brands, after spotting them on TikTok.<\/p>\n Social plays a \u201chuge\u201d role in the new beauty strategy and the brands it brings on board, Kavanagh says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe get customers coming in and they\u2019ve seen something trending on social. The difference with our business is that they can come in and actually smell it, whereas, you know, you can\u2019t do that everywhere,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n John Lewis\u2019 rollout coincides with the continued expansion of beauty giant Sephora and Space NK, as well as the ongoing store upgrade programme at Boots.<\/p>\n However, as Kavanagh points out, with John Lewis, \u201cit\u2019s all about sensory experience, that\u2019s our magic dust\u201d that\u2019s drawing customers into its stores.<\/p>\n![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.retailgazette.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/John-Lewis-Liverpool-2.jpg.webp)
\n<\/picture><\/p>\n<\/p>\nThe new beauty customer<\/h3>\n
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