Member Article

Dramatic sales uplift demands more space for online beauty brand

A lockdown-driven explosion in sales and profits for Handforth-based Beauty Works has led to an expansion of operations into a neighbouring warehouse on Orbit Development’s Stanley Green Business Park.

The new leasing deal for the luxury hair extensions and accessories business will take the beauty brand’s footprint on the Park to 21,955sq ft.

Beauty Works Limited sells product to more than 4000 professional salons and consumers worldwide and has needed to ship almost 65% more goods since the beginning of the pandemic, as people looked to invest in award-winning treats for their hair. In 2018 its hair extensions famously featured in the smash film A Star is Born, worn by Hollywood A-listers, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.

Thanks to the increase in demand a more specific ‘goods in’ warehouse was required to get the volume of product in and out quickly and more efficiently, which was available adjacent to the company’s existing office and warehouse hub. Beauty Works’ employees have already moved into the new space and 10-15 more hires are expected in the next 12 months.

Martin Williams, Beauty Works Operations Manager, commented: “Once we saw how well sales were doing we knew efficient shipping was the next priority so we spoke to Orbit and asked them to help us find the space we needed. They worked quickly on a solution and offered a timeline to suit for taking on the extra lease.”

He continued: “We have been established on Stanley Green for the last 10 years so it was great just to extend our presence here with the least possible disruption to the business. It enabled us to scale up quickly to capitalise on the sales uplift. We are one of those lucky companies that has enjoyed growth during the pandemic and we are looking forward to more success in 2021.”

The company was founded in July 2010 by Penelope Cheshire and has become one of the world’s most successful beauty brands, with distributors in the US, Europe and the Middle East. It was sold to American brand, BIG (Beauty Industry Group) in December last year, whose parent company is Eco Trading Europe Limited) with Penelope retaining her position as UK Managing Director and keeping the UK base in the North West.

Beauty Works sells styling tools and after-care products as well as its best in class hair extensions and the company is a multiple award winner, boasting Nicole Scherzinger, Olivia Palermo, Bella Hadid and Dame Joan Collins as clients.

Dean Richards, Leasing Director at Orbit Developments, commented: “Beauty Works is a fantastic success story and we were delighted to be able to accommodate their expansion needs, so close to their existing space on Stanley Green. It is a great example of how we can collaborate to make things happen quickly and further grow our relationship with them.”

Stanley Green Business Park is a mixed use development in Handforth, which benefits from proximity to the A34 bypass and South Manchester areas and has attracted a variety of retail, trade, industrial and office users. It sits close to the Handforth Dean Retail Park with M & S, Tesco, Boots, Next and Costa Coffee outlets.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sue Souter .