In Review, July 2024: The Body Shop, Sephora and Estée Lauder among big beauty news this month

Sophie Smith

31 July 2024

July welcomed a new prime minister, the Euros, Olympics and (finally) some sunshine, not to mention the inaugural TheIndustry.beauty Awards, plus several new beauty appointments, retail expansions, innovation, and so much more...

Here's a round-up featuring this month's big beauty headlines from brands and retailers including Boots, Sephora and Lush, as well as the top features content from TheIndustry.beauty.

The Body Shop could emerge from administration in August

The Body Shop should emerge from administration in August, the boss of the British brand’s new prospective buyer revealed earlier this month. It came after former Molton Brown CEO Charles Denton, who leads British tycoon Mike Jatania’s investment firm Aurea (which recently entered an exclusivity agreement with the brand's administrators) confirmed he visited The Body Shop's Littlehampton HQ last week. It came after British tycoon Mike Jatania’s investment firm Aurea entered an exclusivity agreement with the brand's administrators at FRP Advisory.

Sephora

Sephora to open in Birmingham as it continues UK expansion

Sephora is continuing its retail expansion across the UK, having announced plans to open in Birmingham city centre later this year. Expected to open this winter, the new store will attempt to bring an "unparalleled" shopping experience to the heart of the Midlands at the Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham.

Boots CEO Seb James steps down after six years

Boots boss Sebastian James announced plans to stand down after six years as Senior Vice President and Managing Director, shortly after its owner WBA dismissed plans for a sale of the high street chain. James, who joined the British health and beauty retailer in 2018, will leave the business in November this year.

Facetheory opens first-ever store following big re-brand

Science-first skincare brand Facetheory selected London's Regent Street as the location for its first-ever store. Situated in the Quadrant Arcade, the new flagship champions skincare education, promising customers "a beauty shopping experience like no other" with its 'lab-meets-store' concept. It followed the brand's new website, product packaging and collection categories.

Estée Lauder names new CFO

The Estée Lauder Companies appointed Akhil Shrivastava as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, replacing Tracey Travis, who announced her intention to retire earlier this month. Shrivastava will be responsible for Estée Lauder's global finance, accounting, tax, treasury, investor relations and new business development organisations.

Thérapie Clinic reveals expansion plans with 800 new jobs following collapse of Skin

Aesthetic treatment provider Thérapie Clinic plans to open 50 new clinics and create 800 new jobs over the next three years, following the collapse of fellow cosmetic surgery chain Skin. Five more clinics will open across the UK this year alone as the business seeks to strengthen its presence and accessibility.

Summer Fridays secures investment from TSG Consumer Partners

Summer Fridays landed investment from TSG Consumer Partners to support the brand's product development, brand building and geographic expansion. The private equity firm took a majority stake in the skincare company, with the co-founders of Summer Fridays, Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Ireland, retaining a significant stake and continuing to lead the business.

THG to make fresh job cuts as it orders staff back to the office

News emerged this month that THG plans to cut 171 jobs across various departments and is ordering employees to return to the office five days a week. The e-commerce company is understood to have put 581 jobs at risk as it looks to scrap 171 roles across six divisions, including beauty and nutrition.

Faace searches for buyer as founder announces plans to sell business

Five years after launching skincare brand Faace, founder Jasmine Wicks-Stephens put the business up for sale. In a video posted on LinkedIn earlier this month, Wicks-Stephens explained the reasoning behind her decision to sell the Brighton-based brand, encouraging her network to help her find a suitable buyer.

Lush

In Pictures: Lush opens new Perfume Library concept in London's Soho

Lush debuted a new Perfume Library concept in London's Soho, offering exclusive launches and consultations with fragrance experts. Located at 67-71 Beak Street, the new concept allows customers to explore an exclusive selection of new perfumes.

BIBBI Parfum secures investment to fuel global growth

BIBBI Parfum secured investment from Fable, the corporate venture investment arm of Natura & Co, and JamJar Investments, to support the brand's global expansion. The investment will also be used to help further product innovation and team development.

Forget groceries, The Perfume Shop's fragrances are coming to Deliveroo

The Perfume Shop partnered with Deliveroo Shopping, announcing plans to make over 1,000 fragrances available to shop via Deliveroo across London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh. The collaboration attempts to bring the British retailer's extensive fragrance range directly to customers’ doors in as little as 25 minutes.

Then I Met You partners with Space NK to expand UK footprint

Korean skincare brand Then I Met You announced plans to launch in-store at Space NK, marking its brick-and-mortar debut in the UK. From 6 August, customers will be able to shop eight of the brand's bestselling products in-store, including its Living Cleansing Balm, Honey Dew Lip Mask, Renewing Rich Beauty Cream and Soothing Tea Cleansing Gel.

Revieve

Trinny London bolsters customer experience with new AI skin service

Trinny London launched a new AI-powered experience offering personalised recommendations to customers, strengthening its digital-first approach to skincare. Developed in partnership with Revieve and Google Cloud , the new digital advisor provides users with the insights needed to make informed decisions about their skincare.

Olaplex bolsters leadership team with two new appointments

Olaplex strengthened its executive leadership team, appointing Catherine Dunleavy as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, effective 13 August 2024. In her new role, she will oversee the breadth of Olaplex's business operations, aligning all functions to most effectively execute on the company's strategy and drive results as it targets growth.

Holland & Barrett to open concessions at NEXT stores

Holland & Barrett is opening new concessions in partnership with NEXT in an attempt to reach new customers. The first "store within a store" opened on 10 July at NEXT's Martlesham Heath branch in Ipswich, with another two concessions set to launch this summer.

Dolce & Gabbana relaunches makeup range with 11 new products

Dolce & Gabbana has attempted to blend the quality and authentic spirit of its fashion identity with trends in cosmetics for the relaunch of its makeup category. Designed and produced in Italy, the new Boundless Beauty collection is defined by innovation and research, as well as avant-garde active ingredients, to achieve "unprecedented sensory formulas and an impeccable makeup effect".

Made by Mitchell makes high street debut at Boots

Made by Mitchell launched at Boots as the TikTok viral beauty brand brought its most popular products to the UK high street for the first time. Now available online and in 96 stores, the line-up includes the brand's bestselling Blursh Liquid Blusher, as well as its Colour Case, Curve Case and Cream Blusher.

Superdrug annual sales soar thanks to continued investment in stores

Superdrug delivered a 11.8% increase in annual sales to £1.5 billion. The health and beauty retailer saw pre-tax profit rise 43% to £111.6 million in 2023, compared to £77.8 million in the previous year. Growth was driven by investment in its store estate, having opened 14 new stores during the year. It also modernised and refitted 45 of its existing stores.

Unilever to cut up to 3,200 jobs in Europe by end of 2025

Unilever is planning to cut up to 3,200 jobs across Europe by the end of next year, after unveiling plans to make the business leaner and more productive. The owner of Dermalogica and Paula's Choice said earlier this year it was preparing to axe around 7,500 jobs, amounting to about 6% of its global workforce.

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