Sainsbury’s looks to take a swatch of the UK’s £2.8bn beauty market

Sainsbury’s (LON:SBRY) is looking to challenge Boots, Superdrug and department retailers by expanding its Beauty offerings.

The UK’s second-largest supermarket is looking into incorporating more beauty aisles with specialist staff, as it looks to take a swatch out of the UK’s £2.8 billion beauty market.

Sainsbury’s said intends to substantially increase its in-store beauty department, including popular brands such as Revlon, Essie, Tweezerman and Dr. PawPaw.

Existing ranges from L’Oreal, Maybelline and Burt’s Bees will be afforded greater store space, as it looks to compete with the likes of Boots and Superdrug.

The initiative is seen as a way of boosting profits as the retail sector in the UK continues to face headwinds.

Whilst sales in clothing and food continue to contract, the beauty market continues to expand at an astounding pace.

According to figures, the UK cosmetics industry increased by 4 percent in 2017, totalling £3 billion.

Paul Mills-Hicks, the supermarket’s commercial director, commented: “We’ve transformed the look and feel of our beauty aisles to enhance the environment for our customers. We’ve also invested in specially trained colleagues who will be on hand to offer advice.

“Our range of brands is designed to suit every need and the alluring environment and convenient locations mean we’re now a compelling beauty destination which challenges the old way of shopping.”

The plans follow the announcement of an intended merger between Sainsbury’s and Asda, as the supermarket’s look to compete with rival challengers such as Lidl an Aldi.
The £7.3 billion deal, which was announced back in April, is currently being investigated by the UK’s competition watchdog amid concerns over consumer choice.
Should the deal be confirmed, the merger will see the creation of the UK’s largest supermarket chain, surpassing Tesco (LON:TSCO).
Thus far, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have suggested that the group may have to close as many as 463 stores to satisfy investigation concerns.
The investigation is currently entering ‘phase-two’ of the process, which will provide further clarification on the matter.

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