THIS MORNING it was announced that fashion retailer, Next will launch a new beauty hall in The Oracle.
The Beauty Hall from Next will replace Debenhams’ beauty halls in all five stores closing down.
More known for their clothing lines than beauty, Next currently sells more than 200 beauty brands on their website including Estee Lauder, Clinique, Benefit, Origins, The Ordinary, GHD, Dermalogica, L’Occitane, and premium brands including Bobbi Brown, YSL, Lancôme and Nars through its sister site Fabled.com.
Hammerson — owners of The Oracle — said they will also look for more opportunities to repurpose the other floors of Debenhams after the department store announced yesterday the sites would be closing permanently.
In March 2020, Hammerson gained planning permission to redevelop the House of Fraser store with secured pre-lettings to leisure operators.
David Atkins, Hammerson chief executive, said: “This is a challenging time for all of us, so it’s really encouraging to see strong, innovative brands like Next work with us to plan for the future.
“This is the right decision not only for consumers but for our communities more broadly, as it will create employment prospects and support local economies all over the country.
“This is another example of how we are repurposing department store space and improving the shopping experience for consumers.
“The Beauty Hall from Next is a great concept and it’s a real vote of confidence in our flagship destinations that Next has chosen these locations to launch its new offer.”
Simon Wolfson, Next’s chief executive, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to work with existing and new beauty brand partners to create a new force in beauty retailing — bringing our Online business to life through premium store environments in some of the UK’s most important retail locations.”