Key Takeaways:
British department store retailer John Lewis & Partners is accelerating its investment in beauty as part of a broader retail transformation strategy, unveiling a new partnership with Korean beauty retailer Skin Cupid alongside an expanded loyalty proposition and advisory-led shopping services.
The retailer announced plans to open dedicated Skin Cupid shop-in-shops at its Cambridge, Kingston, and Leeds locations this summer, marking the first time the specialist K-beauty retailer has expanded beyond London. The launch will also bring 20 Korean skincare and haircare brands, including Beauty of Joseon, Medicube, Anua, Unove, Manyo, S.Nature, and Dr. Different, to John Lewis online and in stores. Some of the brands will be exclusive to the partnership.
The move underscores how legacy department stores are increasingly leaning into high-growth beauty categories, experiential retail, and expert-led discovery to drive traffic and relevance with younger consumers. Korean beauty, in particular, has emerged as one of the fastest-growing segments in prestige beauty retail, fueled by ingredient-focused shopping behaviors, social commerce, and TikTok-driven discovery.
According to John Lewis, searches for Korean skincare on its platform have surged nearly 800% over the past year, while ingredient-led searches that include hyaluronic acid, azelaic acid, and peptides have also climbed sharply. Searches for LED masks have risen 75%, reflecting growing consumer demand for beauty technology. Total beauty sales at the retailer have grown 42% since 2020.
The expansion forms part of John Lewis’ wider £800 million ($1 billion) retail transformation strategy, which has increasingly centered beauty, fashion, hospitality, and experiential shopping as traffic-driving categories. Last year, the retailer upgraded six of its 34 beauty halls, transforming them into larger discovery-focused spaces featuring new brands, treatment rooms, consultations, and immersive merchandising. The company now offers 540 beauty counters, more than 400 beauty services, and nearly 70 treatment rooms across its store network.
The latest initiative also reflects a broader industry shift toward advisory-led beauty retail. Alongside the Skin Cupid rollout, John Lewis is expanding its Beauty Society, a brand-agnostic consultation service staffed by specially trained Beauty Guides. Available in nine stores, the service is designed to help shoppers navigate products across brands rather than shop through individual counters.
The retailer is also deepening its beauty loyalty proposition by launching MyJL Beauty, an extension of its My John Lewis membership program. Members purchasing beauty products will receive tailored offers, rewards, and access to curated beauty boxes. The first MyJL Beauty Edit Box, dropping later this month, will include products from brands such as Medik8, Elemis, and Laneige.
The strategy mirrors wider changes reshaping beauty retail globally. Retailers are increasingly acting as curators and discovery engines, helping consumers navigate crowded product assortments through expert services, personalization, and community-driven retail experiences.
John Lewis has also expanded its digital beauty ambitions, recently piloting TikTok Shop integrations and broadening its on-demand delivery partnerships through Uber Eats. The retailer said beauty products are central to its evolving social commerce strategy.
“Beauty customers are changing the way they shop,” Helen Spencer, Director of Beauty at John Lewis, said in a statement. “They are increasingly researching ingredients, trends, and products before coming to us for trusted advice and the chance to try products in person.”
For John Lewis, the investment represents more than a category expansion. It is part of a larger effort to reposition the department store model around service, discovery, and experiential retail at a time when traditional retail formats continue to face pressure from online marketplaces and value competitors.
As prestige beauty increasingly becomes one of the most resilient growth categories in retail, department stores are racing to redefine their role, not simply as points of distribution, but as destinations for expertise, community, and brand discovery. John Lewis is betting K-beauty, loyalty ecosystems, and advisory-led shopping will help secure that future.