LUSH reopens its store on Robson Street
Renovated shop has become a ‘sensory playground,’ with double the shelf space to display products
Lush is one of those stores that you can find by smell.
The company, which specializes in colourful bath, beauty and body products, boasts a cheery scent that’s as much a benchmark of the brand as its black-and-white packaging and quirky product names.
Lush recently marked the 20th anniversary of its Robson Street location by reopening the shop. At 2,340 square feet, the renovated store, which was among the brand’s original 10 shops to open in North America, is double the size of the original retail space. That means, double the products to smell and test, too.
Brandi Halls, director of brand communications at LUSH, talked about the plush new space, what makes Vancouver such an important market for the brand — and what’s next:
Q What made this the right time to redo the Robson Street store?
A With customer intrigue and product innovation both surging in the last few years, we recognized the need for an enhanced customer experience in our Lush shops across the world. Here in North America, we recently shifted our focus away from expansion into new markets and towards expansion and elevation of shops in pre-existing markets. For a location like Robson Street that means a bigger, better Lush experience. The availability of the space on Robson Street aligned perfectly with the shift in our company strategy and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate 20 years on Robson than with a shiny new shop!
And what makes Robson a good fit for LUSH?
Robson is an iconic shopping street in Vancouver and being a Vancouver-based business means that having a presence there is a must for us. Our first location on Robson Street opened in 1997. Since then it’s where tourists from all over the world have discovered our unique brand. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be elevating the Lush brand experience here on our home turf!
What can shoppers expect to find in the renovated space?
You can expect to enter a sensory playground, more products, space, demonstrations, passionate sales associates and generally more fun. With the Robson Street location more than doubling in size, we have created space for customers to really engage with our products and staff. With large demo sinks throughout the store, enhanced skin-care consultation areas and vintage furniture pieces, the new space allows for a truly unique experience catered to every customer.
Twenty years is a long time. What do you think has contributed to the brand’s success?
Lush is a values-based brand. Since Day 1 we’ve always been more than a soap shop and our passionate customers know they can trust that we will not compromise our ethics, or theirs, for sales. Our fans have been key to our success, they’ve helped grow our brand through word of mouth and continue to challenge us to always do more and to be better. And we continue to reward their loyalty by pushing the limits of their imaginations with every product range we release. Ethical and innovative products combined with loyal and passionate fans have created the Lush brand that you see today.
Vancouver seems to be a special market for Lush. Why is that?
When owners, Mark and Karen Wolverton, stumbled across the brand in the U.K. over 20 years ago, they knew it was very much in line with the West Coast lifestyle and would thrive in the Vancouver marketplace. Ever since setting up shop, and factory, in their hometown, Mark and Karen remain dedicated to growing, supporting and nurturing the Vancouver community, whether that be through employment opportunities in their head office and manufacturing facilities, or through community outreach, philanthropy and campaigning.
Lastly, what’s next for the brand?
Expect to see more of these bigger experiential Lush shops popping up all over North America. And with more space in our shops, comes more shelf space for continued product innovation. Solid Mouthwash Tabs, Jelly Bath Bombs and Jelly Face Masks are just a few ... new product ranges that will be rolling out across Lush stores in the near future. Watch for new fragrances hitting stores in the fall as well, in fact Vancouver is going to be home to one of our pop-up Gorilla Gallery experiences in late September.