Fenwick’s Newcastle flagship is renowned for its rich history, dating back to 1882 when the Fenwick family opened the doors to a then-modest shop on Northumberland Street. The store initially began specializing in mantles, silks, and dress fabrics, expanding both its premises and product range over the years, making the environment what it is today—one of the UK’s largest and most impressive beauty halls. In 2022, Fenwick Newcastle announced a £40 million ($52 million) refurbishment plan as part of the store's 140th anniversary. This month, the newly refurbished store opened its doors, revealing a combination of the brand's classic heritage with modern luxury, continuing to uphold its reputation as a premier retail destination.
Standing at 26,000 square feet, the store is now the UKs largest beauty hall outside of London—a testament to the Fenwick family’s dedication to creating an innovative in-store shopping experience. Created by architect Ben Mailen alongside London-based architecture firm Sybarite, the newly interpreted space features two new enlarged atriums, 56 feet of facade windows looking out onto Northumberland Street, with over 1,600 sqare feet of terrazzo flooring, as well as an all-new, 50-foot-long fragrance bar featuring 38 brands.
Now hosting 163 brands in total, the Fenwick Newcastle Beauty Hall offers makeup, skincare, contemporary, and couture beauty, as well as niche and prestige fragrances. The assortment of brands includes a city-exclusive list of SKUs from brands including Hourglass, Charlotte Tilbury, and Le Labo, as well as regional exclusives from Chantecaille, Guerlain's premium L'Art & La Matière Fragrances, the Orchidee Imperiale skincare range, and Carolina Herrera makeup.
"We are proud to unveil the transformation of our Fenwick Newcastle Beauty Hall making it the UK's largest beauty hall outside of London. This has been three years in the making with absolute dedication to detail, working with brilliant beauty brand partners and my talented Fenwick team,” said Hazel Ayers, Director of Buying and Merchandising at Fenwick. “The reimagined Beauty Hall demonstrates the continual evolution of the Fenwick in-store customer experience offering an unrivaled edit, innovative new products and brands, and expert beauty services. This evolution can be seen in all eight of our beauty halls in our stores nationwide. We look forward to welcoming customers in to experience these spaces and discover their new favourite beauty products at Fenwick."
Further elevating what the store has to offer, a curated selection of pampering services are also available in five beauty treatment rooms. These include manicures, blow-drys, eyebrow-shaping, eyelash extensions, facials, and makeup appointments. The store will also offer bespoke wedding scent consultations and fragrance engravings, giving yet another personal touch to family-first retailer.
To celebrate the store's refurbishment, Fenwick presented a beauty campaign—Beauty with Bite—which invited customers to immerse themselves in exclusive experiences, events, product discoveries, and expert insights. The campaign hosted a range of exciting events including MAC Cosmetics makeup tutorial sessions, Tom Ford Beauty and Charlotte Tilbury Holiday masterclasses, and a Fenwick x Guerlain cabaret. The holiday-themed events came naturally to Fenwick Newcastle, often praised within the city for its impressive Christmas-themed windows during the season of giving.
Mia Fenwick, Brand and Marketing Director at Fenwick, described the flagship store as “the heartland of our business,” adding that the £40 million ($52 million) investment will allow Fenwick to “continue serving the city and its future generations.”
The refurbishment comes as part of Fenwick’s plan to focus on its flagship store after ceasing trading at its London Bond Street store in February. The Fenwick family sold the London store to Lazari Investments in 2022 after trading for over 130 years at the location, in a reported £430 million ($559 million) deal. According to the brand, Fenwick sold its London location to “strengthen the financial foundations for the future and make significant investments in the stores and online for long-term success.”
Fenwick’s Newcastle refurbishment follows a growing focus on beauty retail in the North of England, reflecting the region's increasing importance in the beauty market, including Sephora’s 6,600-square-foot store opening in Newcastle’s Eldon Square, hosting over 1,500 brands. The refurbishment is sure to solidify Fenwick’s Newcastle flagship as a continued key player in the area's beauty retail scene, catering to the rising consumer demand, while enhancing the stores ability to offer a premium, immersive shopping experience, further cementing Newcastle as a destination for high-end beauty products and services.
