UK Health & Beauty Sector Report summary
September 2024
Period covered: Period covered: 28 July – 24 August 2024
3 minute read
Note: This report summary is one or two months behind the current month as standard reporting practice. The content is indicative only and incomplete with certain data undisclosed. Become a member to access this data or take out a free 30 day membership trial now.
Health and Beauty sales
Health & Beauty sales rose by xx% YoY in August, compared to xx% growth in August 2023, according to the Retail Economics Retail Sales Index (value, non-seasonally adjusted).
The Health & Beauty sector remains the fastest-growing in UK retail, and one of five sectors to see year-on-year growth in August.
Sales drivers
Several key factors influenced this performance:
Holidays abroad: Holidays remain a key spending priority for households and several airports set new monthly records for passenger numbers during August – Heathrow recorded its busiest ever day on the 18th, with 269,000 passengers in a day, Manchester and Stanstead airports also recorded record numbers during the month. Airport activity helped to drive health and beauty sales as holidaymakers stocked up on essentials like suncream.
Taylor Swift Era’s tour: Taylor Swift played five nights at Wembley Stadium from August 15 to 20, with footfall spiking 8% in London during that week. Over 1.2m people attended her UK dates over the summer, contributing an estimated £1 billion to the economy (Barclays) and driving sales of beauty items as well as apparel.
Mini heatwave: The UK experienced a mini-heatwave, with temperatures reaching up to 34°C in London and southeast England, followed by thunderstorms.
Far-right riots: Riots triggered by the Southport stabbings negatively affected high street footfall, with a 4.8% drop in peak periods YoY (MRI Software). Retailers including Lush suffered damaged stores during the disorder.
Bank holiday: The bank holiday towards the end of August brought music festivals and the Notting Hill Carnival, creating an optimistic mood towards the end of the month.
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Consumer confidence declined
Source: Retail Economics, GFK
