For GCC beauty brands, entering the UK market is more than just launching online, it’s about finding the right retail environment to showcase your products, communicate your brand story, and reach the right audience. The UK retail landscape is competitive, diverse, and fast evolving, making the choice of retail partners critical for long-term success.
The UK Retail Landscape
The UK retail market is a mix of department stores, specialist beauty retailers, online platforms, and high-end concept stores. Department Stores like Harrods, John Lewis and Selfridges are perfect for luxury GCC brands, these stores offer prestige and visibility to affluent consumers but often require high margins, strict merchandising standards, and strong marketing support. Space NK and Sephora attract savvy shoppers that actively seek new, international brands. Being stocked here signals quality and trendiness. And then we move onto online sites such as Look Fantastic, ASOS and Cult Beauty. Essentially, these are for reaching digitally native audiences, testing consumer demand without committing to expensive physical retail space.
Superdrug, TK Maxx, John Lewis, Boots, Marks & Spencer and Next have been on British high streets and shopping centres for decades, their beauty and wellness categories have expanded significantly and shoppers do not shy away from purchasing items from them. They offer numerous brands that cater to all.
Location Matters
For physical retail, location is everything, cities like London are often the best entry points due to high footfall, luxury shoppers, and media exposure. But you need to bear in mind that you are showcasing your brand on a global stage. Manchester, Edinburgh, or Birmingham that can offer lower entry costs whilst testing new audiences. Space NK, John Lewis, Next, M&S are based regionally so shoppers are able to access them easily.
Aligning Choice with Your Brand Identity
Not all retail spaces are right for every brand. Choosing the right retail home starts with clarity about your positioning. For luxury and prestigious brands, online and department stores are ideal. When it comes to niche and trend driven brands, specialist beauty retailers and online platforms work best.
Matching your brand story, price point, and product philosophy to the retailer ensures authenticity and eliminates consumer confusion.
Retailer Partnerships and Collaboration
Entering the UK isn’t just about being stocked, it’s about building strategic relationships. Collaborating on exclusive products or collections for a retailer can create buzz and loyalty. Demonstrations, workshops, and pop-ups allow UAE brands to share their story with consumers. Pop ups within retail spaces are popular – smaller, curated spaces allow brands to create immersive experiences, often appealing to niche luxury or halal markets.
These pop ups are good starting points for brands to build their brand awareness and test the waters in different locations. Many retailers offer co-marketing opportunities, social media and email campaigns, as well as influencer collaborations.
Finding the right retail home is critical for UAE beauty brands aiming for UK success. By understanding the landscape, aligning retail choice with brand identity, and building strong retailer partnerships, your brand can establish credibility, capture loyal customers, and grow sustainably.
We have designed a FREE Guide for you to download, when considering your market entry for the UK. Download it here.
Working with Bespoke Advantage
Bespoke Advantage is a London based international beauty brand consultancy. We are a team of experts, associates and business partners specialising in supporting our clients – award-winning entrepreneurs, well established beauty and wellness businesses, retailers, investors, trade bodies and embassies – in developing and growing their brands across the beauty and wellness marketplace. If you are looking to launch a beauty or wellness brand or you are looking for support in expanding your brand across markets, GET IN TOUCH.
