British cosmetics firm Lush took a stand for Gaza by shutting its UK shops, factories, and website on September 3.
Displaying banners declaring “Stop starving Gaza – we are closed in solidarity” in store windows and on its website.
Lush’s unprecedented move to pause trading across more than 100 UK outlets has served as a powerful signal of dissent.
The message flashed across screens and high streets alike, inviting customers to pause alongside them and reflect not on hand creams and bath bombs, but on the humanitarian emergency in Gaza.
In a statement, the company stated that “Those within the Lush community, like the rest of the world, are struggling to find ways we can help whilst the Israeli government is preventing urgent humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza”.
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Lush co-founder Mark Constantine said that the company expected to lose around £300,000 (R7.05 million) in sales for the day, on top of covering £300,000 in staff wages.
He said that it would be better to “pay for food to go into Gaza, rather than just sacrificing profits.”
This gesture extended beyond goodwill, it was a call to action designed to send a message to Whitehall and the UK governments decision to continue supplying arms to Israel.
Lush highlighted how its closure meant the UK government is losing a day of tax contributions from Lush and their customers, underlining its demand that the authorities bring an immediate stop to the death and destruction.
The shutdown spotlighted Lush’s previous campaign for Gaza
Its Watermelon Slice soap, first launched last year to support mental health services for children in Gaza and the West Bank, was named “the most successful single-issue fundraising product in the history of Lush.”
The company now intends to resurrect it, with profits earmarked for delivering medical aid, including prosthetic limbs to those in need.
Lush hinted at broader action. With over 869 stores worldwide, the company suggested that solidarity gestures may spread to other countries, should others in the business feel similarly compelled.
Lifestyle
