Dubai: Cosmetics retailer Lush is planning to open four stores in the UAE by next year, bringing the total number of stores in the country to 11.
With the new openings, the retailer, which has 17 stores in the Middle East, is taking advantage of the demand in the region.
Sales in the UAE is up “ by 30 per cent from January to June,” compared to the same period last year, Karl Bygrave, director of Lush told Gulf News in an interview on Wednesday.
The retailer is considering opening mall-based and high-street stores in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.
It plans to have 20 stores in the UAE within five years.
Brand strategy
Lush is looking to capitalise on consumers’ online buying. It already has a dedicated website for UAE customers, and aiming for online sales to account for 25 per cent of the total in the future, says Bygrave.
Globally, online sales make up between eight and nine per cent of total sales, he added.
Lush is also working on introducing new product categories. But for now, “we are working on expanding the make-up and fragrances categories, he said.
Lush introduced the make-up category last year, and fine fragrances the year before. The fragrances have attracted strong demand.
“The fragrances sell double here than in anywhere else in the world,” he said.
Arab buyers are looking for “effective products” that are not necessarily the latest, he said.
Lush’s Dubai Mall store is among its top ten stores in the world. It has 900 stores in 50 countries.
