Lush opens Tokyo tech-concept store

After opening two concept stores in Milan and Berlin earlier in the year, British cosmetics retailer Lush has opened a third global concept store in Tokyo. While the Italian and German locations opened with a focus on packaging-free cosmetics, the Japanese retail outlet, which kicked off trade on November 22, will specialise in selling Lush’s bath bombs.

Located in Harajuku, the tech-focused store will promote Lush’s best-selling bath bombs, as well as those new editions, and those known to be seasonal.

Across two floors, Lush will also add limited-edition bath bombs sold exclusively in the new shop.

Inspired by Japanese culture, the bath products reflect the style of the district’s Harajuku fashionistas “with their vivid colours and imaginative outfits to mythical creatures such as nine-tailed foxes,” according to a press release from Lush.

Under the umbrella of Lush Labs, the new Tokyo store will serve as a retail experiment for future Lush stores, by incorporating online and offline retail experiences in the same setting.

In doing so, consumers will enter a store void of signing and pricing, and even sinks typically used to demonstrate the product.

Instead, shoppers will be encourage to shop online via the Lush Labs app, and view demonstrations and products digitally, as well as gaining ingredient detail, simply by scanning the naked bath bombs directly from their phone. In this vein, packaging is done away with too.

“With Lush’s long term commitment to removing packaging from cosmetics, the Lush Lens feature uses the phone’s camera and Artificial Intelligence to support the customer in shopping packaging-free with ease and ensures they get all the important product information they require in a fun and environmentally-conscious way,” said Lush in a statement.

Lush is increasingly experimenting its online retail in the offline world and will use “community feedback” from the Harajuku store as a source of research and ultimately reason to open more across the globe.

“Customers are being invited into the R&D process once again, only this time to feedback on the retail experience as a whole, rather than just the product,” concluded Lush.

“Each comment, reaction and critique sent back will help shape the future of the shop and each area of innovation launching within it.”