Lush cosmetic chain for Grafton Street

Lush, the UK-based "cosmetic grocery" chain, is to open at the bottom of Grafton Street in Dublin. It has applied for planning permission to renovate the unit previously occupied by American Express.

The Lush chain is a very different type of beauty product shop, laid out like "beauty delis", with soap in the shape of slabs of cheese and round-shaped bubble bath products piled high to resemble pyramids of apples. There's a fresh fish-type counter complete with ice chips which features beauty products that must be used within 24 hours or the natural ingredients from which they are made will go off.

Prices are by weight and the goodies are wrapped in greaseproof paper complete with stickers with sell-by dates. The shops feature wooden panneling, butcher block tables and old wooden barrels because the chain's founder Mark Constantine has "always loved the way fruit and vegetables are displayed in a grocery store".

He set up the retail chain in Poole, Dorset, in the UK, in 1995 and there are now shops in 10 countries, including Japan, Canada, Brazil, Italy and Saudi Arabia. When the Powerscourt Centre in Dublin was refurbished two years ago, there had been speculation that Lush would be one of its new tenants but the chain held out for the main street location. There is a branch of Lush in Belfast on Castle Lane.

The worldwide rights to Lush are owned by the Poole-based parent company Lush Limited, which also owns Lush Retail in the UK and shares in all Lush retail operations. The Dublin operation is wholly owned by the parent company, which felt it would be able to retain control over the retail operation because of Dublin's proximity to head office.

Lush grew out of a quirky mail order company, Cosmetics to Go, which was also owned by Mark Constantine. It ceased trading in the early 1990s but had already built up a following for its products, which were mostly made from natural ingredients, which included fresh fruit, vegetables and ingredients like fresh cream.