Macy’s expands sale of Lush bath, body products

Two Macy’s stores in Ohio, one in Cincinnati and
another in Columbus, are offering the Lush line.

CINCINNATI (AP) — Macy’s is counting on a British cosmetics brand — known for bath balls containing cognac absolute and organic fruits and vegetables and oils blended into offbeat forms such as solid shampoo bars — to set the retailer apart from increasing competition in the bath, body and beauty business.

Macy’s Inc. ties with Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics Ltd. comes as Macy’s turns to exclusive alliances — including a Martha Stewart home furnishings collection and a deal with the Tommy Hilfiger U.S.A. brand of men’s and women’s sportswear — to drive traffic and win over shoppers in former May Department Stores Co. markets. Macy’s has struggled to build the May stores into its nationwide marketing efforts since it bought May in 2005.

“The fact that we carry the product exclusively, beyond Lush’s stores, fits our strategy of adding products to Macy’s that are unique,” said Debbie Murtha, Macy’s senior vice president for cosmetics.

Lush started its relationship with Cincinnati-based Macy’s at five Michigan and Illinois locations in 2006. The products now are offered in 15 Macy’s stores, with at least two more expected this year and maybe more in the future.

“That’s a big category right now, especially for discounters like Target,” said Patricia Edwards, a retail analyst with Wentworth, Hauser and Violich. “Macy’s went head-to-head against Target at Christmas, and Target has been very big on bringing in exclusive bath and body lines. Even J.C. Penney’s has put in the Sephora cosmetics line in some stores.”

Before the Macy’s alliance, Lush’s products were available in the United States only at its own stores and through mail-order and the Internet.

Lush, which has 510 stores in 40 countries, said it had overall North American sales of $50 million in 2007. Neither company releases Macy’s-Lush results.

“From our standpoint, the relationship has been great,” said Mark Wolverton, chief executive of Vancouver, Canada, based Lush North America. “It has given us the opportunity to go into so many locations around the U.S. while still controlling our brand.”

Lush trains and pays its own staff to sell the products in Macy’s stores the way Lush wants — with products in minimal or no packaging piled in rustic wooden bins resembling an old-fashioned candy store. Customers are encouraged to touch, smell and try the handmade products.

“We don’t put money into inventory,” Wolverton said. “We make our products to order with fresh ingredients in a concept like a bakery where you order one day, it’s made the next day and shipped the next.”

Sites in Ohio where Macy’s stores carry the Lush line are at Kenwood Towne Centre, Cincinnati, and Tuttle Crossing, Columbus.

Lush says its concern for the environment is one reason many of its products are in solid forms requiring less preservatives and little of the packaging that often ends up in landfills.

Solid shampoo bars foam when rubbed on wet hair and softball-sized “bath bombs” fizz while disintegrating to fill baths with scent, oils and other organic ingredients. Some release confetti shaped like butterflies or rosebuds and other bars produce bubbles when crumbled under running water.

Customers can buy a bath bomb for $5 and moisturizers for $20, although one face moisturizer costs $80.

Bringing Lush to Macy’s was a wonderful move, said Candace Corlett, principal at WSL Strategic Retail.

“Lush is a magical brand with an interesting following, and by placing Lush in its stores, Macy’s borrows a little of that magic,” Corlett said. “Bath and body products have transitioned to less of an indulgence and more of a must-have, and Lush’s emphasis on natural, good-for-you, good-for-the earth products really resonates.”

While not exceptionally pricey, Lush is viewed as high-end and unique because it appears more hand-crafted and less commercial than other lines, analyst Edwards said.

“It’s not the same stuff you see everywhere else, and anything Macy’s can do to not be your grandmother’s store is probably a good thing,” Edwards said.