The cosmetics retailer Lush has closed its UK shops, factories and website in protest over starvation in Gaza.
A statement appeared on its website and on posters on shop windows on Wednesday, which read: “Stop starving Gaza, we are closed in solidarity”, while its flagship spa on London’s Oxford Street was marked as “temporarily closed” on Google Maps.
In an interview with LBC radio, the co-founder Mark Constantine said the company’s estimated losses as a result of the closure would be about £300,000. While offering his support for 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 released on the Lush website asks for customers’ forgiveness for any inconvenience, but says that “many of our customers share the same anxiety about the situation in Gaza”. It calls on the government to bring an end to “death and destruction” as well as stop arms sales to Israel. “The UK government is losing a day of tax contributions from Lush,” the statement notes.
In 2024, the UK-founded luxury cosmetics brand produced 102m products and had a turnover of £690m. It operates 869 stores globally, with the most stores in the UK.
It says that its Palestine-focussed fundraising product, Watermelon Slice soap, has been the most successful single fundraising product in its history, with profits going towards mental health services for children in Gaza and the West Bank.
The company has previously taken stands on other issues – it launched a “#Spycops” campaign in 2018 to highlight abuses by undercover police officers in the UK, and boycotted some social media apps in 2021, citing their negative effects on the body image for teenagers.
Lush has also sent cheques to direct action climate campaigning groups, including RoadBlock and anti-aviation group Clear the Skies. However, it opposed the placement of a “Boycott Israel” poster on a Dublin store shopfront in October 2023, saying it did not represent the Lush ethos that “All Are Welcome. Always.”
A spokesperson for Lush told the PA news that agency staff were being paid for the closure day.
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The prime minister last month said the UK would recognise a Palestinian state later in September unless Israel agrees to meet certain conditions, including addressing the humanitarian crisis, implementing a ceasefire and reviving the prospect of a two-state solution.
In a statement on the Middle East to the House of Commons on Monday, the foreign secretary, David Lammy, told MPs Gaza was experiencing a “man-made famine” as Israel’s aid restrictions continue.
