You beauty... cosmetics firm eyes up a flotation

INVESTORS could soon have an intriguing option to cash in on the vi brant beauty t r ade – just as shoppers splash out with socialising back on the agenda.

Beauty Bay, a Manchester-based online cosmetics retailer, has been touted as a candidate for a stock market flotation and it appears that plans are firming up.

The business was set up by brothers Arron and David Gabbie 20 years ago and the pair remain its main shareholders.

Bankers at GCA Altium were hired last year to size up strategic options for the firm.

I hear potential non-executives have been interviewed to beef up its board, fuelling speculation an IPO could be on the cards.

Beauty Bay specialises in selling hard-to-find make- up brands and is likely to benefit from the switch in shopper habits towards online retail.

The demise of Debenhams, known for their vast beauty halls, may also help it mop up customers.

FOR all the fur ore around Deliveroo’s flotation woes, it is worth noting the fortunes of its rival Just Eat Takeaway.com.

The food deliverer last week saw its stock tumble after completing the takeover of US peer Grubhub.

The stock is down 24 per cent so far this year as lockdowns – which helped the sector – begin to lift.

The fall has hit boss Jitse Groen in the pocket. The Dutch founder of Takeaway.com is Just Eat Takeaway.com’s biggest investor and has seen nearly £300 million knocked off the value of his stake, now worth less than £1 billion.

What’s more, he was recently involved in a Twitter spat with Uber’s boss, whom he accused of depressing Just Eat Takeaway.com’s share price.

Ouch.