Cosmetics retailer Lush has closed all its UK shops, factories, and website in protest over starvation in Gaza, with estimated losses of about £300,000. The closure on Wednesday saw a statement on its website and posters on shop windows reading: “Stop starving Gaza, we are closed in solidarity.” Its flagship spa on London’s Oxford Street was marked as “temporarily closed” on Google Maps.
Co-founder Mark Constantine told LBC radio the company’s estimated losses from the closure would be about £300,000. While supporting the decision, he added: “It would be nice to be able to pay for food to go into Gaza, rather than just sacrificing [profits].”
The statement on Lush’s website asks for customers’ forgiveness for any inconvenience but says “many of our customers share the same anxiety about the situation in Gaza.” It calls on the government to end “death and destruction” and stop arms sales to Israel, noting: “The UK government is losing a day of tax contributions from Lush.”
Lush, which produced 102m products in 2024 with a turnover of £690m, operates 869 stores globally, with most in the UK. Its Palestine-focused fundraising product, Watermelon Slice soap, has been its most successful single fundraising product, with profits going to mental health services for children in Gaza and the West Bank.
The company has previously taken stands on other issues, including a “#Spycops” campaign in 2018 and a boycott of some social media apps in 2021. It has also sent cheques to direct action climate groups, but opposed a “Boycott Israel” poster on a Dublin store in October 2023, saying it did not represent Lush’s ethos that “All Are Welcome. Always.” A spokesperson confirmed agency staff were paid for the closure day.
