John Lewis "super charges" beauty halls with £9m spend

John Lewis has announced a £9m investment in the beauty halls of several stores which will include the introduction of new brands as the department store group aims to "super charge" its beauty business.

The stores in Cambridge, Cribbs Causeway and Bluewater will be refurbished with each shop increasing the footprint of their beauty halls by around 50%, while John Lewis stores in Cardiff, Stratford, Peter Jones (Chelsea), and Cheadle, have also received investments in the beauty halls.

As a result of the investment new brands will be introduced and the distribution of existing popular brands extended. This will include brands such as Marc Jacobs Beauty, Tom Ford Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury, MAC, Chanel, Jo Malone, Urban Decay and La Prairie.

These brands will also be made available on johnlewis.com through the store's "Click & Collect" proposition, and many of the brands will also feature in the two new John Lewis stores opening later this year in Chelmsford (29 September) and Leeds (20 October).

The latest investment follows the opening of John Lewis's own &Beauty full-service spa in its Birmingham store, and the Clarins Beauty BAR, which was an international first for Clarins when it opened at John Lewis Oxford Street last year.

"Beauty is one of the best performing categories at John Lewis and a significant footfall driver, so this investment is a reflection of our ambition in this space," said buying director for fashion and beauty Ed Connolly. "We are continuing to bring new and contemporary brands to our customers across both fashion and beauty, and we have one of the widest and best beauty selections of any department store in the world."

All refurbishments and extensions will be completed by the end of October.