Debenhams invests in home beauty service to increase visibility in £4bn market

Debenhams has made an investment into blow LTD, a fast-growing ‘on demand’ beauty services provider.

The exclusive UK partnership will enable Debenhams to accelerate its presence in the £4bn beauty services market. Debenhams will hold a minority stake and join the board of blow LTD.

This will give the company a disruptive proposition in the large but fragmented beauty services market, as well as creating a new distribution channel for the department store whereby beauty services and treatments can now be booked to take place at home or in store.

Debenhams’ CEO, Sergio Bucher, said: “I am excited to announce our partnership with blow LTD. The step is a strategic move which ties into multiple facets of our Debenhams Redesigned strategy.

“This will allow us to scale up our Beauty Services offer rapidly and bring brands closer to customers both in store and in their own homes. Through partnering with blow LTD, Debenhams can adopt an entrepreneurial approach to a growing market, acquiring external expertise with flexibility and low overhead commitments.”

The first three blow LTD ‘beauty bars’ will launch in Debenhams Oxford Street, Birmingham Bull Ring and Manchester store this Autumn, with more to follow.

Blow LTD delivers over 15k beauty services, with over 300 vetted professionals and a satisfaction score of 95 per cent.

This partnership comes after the recent launches of Kat Von D and Make Up Forever in Debenhams stores, as well as Alesha Dixon becoming the brand’s ambassador in August to raise awareness of its Beauty Club loyalty scheme.

The chairman and co-founder of blow LTD, Dharmash Mistry, also commented: “Our partnership with Debenhams will turbo charge growth and awareness of blow LTD by accessing the vibrant and loyal customer base of a UK market leader.

“This move accelerates our ambition to bring expert beauty services to customers in key regional cities across the UK, either in their homes or in Debenhams stores. We are excited to join forces with Debenhams to reinvent the multi-billion pound beauty services market.”