Lush retail store expected to open in February at River Park Square

A Britain-based retailer is bringing an international brand of handmade cosmetics and body-care products to downtown Spokane to be part of River Park Square.

Lush cosmetics is opening a store in Spokane as part of its plans to open 100 similar shops during the next three years. The new retail shop will be on the south side of Main Avenue and just east of Anthropologie, which is at 885 W. Main Ave.

The Lush shop is expected to open sometime in February. Interior work is underway and could be seen earlier this week through the location’s open doors. A banner across the storefront’s windows trumpets “coming soon” and encourages job seekers to investigate the careers page on the company’s website.

“We are thrilled to add the new Spokane location to our growing portfolio of fresh new Lush shops,” Elisa Torres, Lush’s director of retail, responded in an email when contacted about the River Park Square location. “Thoughtfully designed with the customer experience in mind, this shop provides more opportunity to demonstrate our ethics, playfully interact with our Spokane customers, and present our new and ever-growing product range.”

Lush cosmetics offer skincare, hair care and bath products. The 24-year-old company uses fresh fruit, vegetables, essential oils and natural ingredients, according to company literature. The company is based in Poole, United Kingdom, with its North American headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The first Lush shop opened in Vancouver in 1996, and 250 shops now do business across North America. There are just more than 100 Lush shops in Great Britain, with roughly 90 others elsewhere around the world, according to the business data site Statistica.

The Spokane location will be the company’s sixth in Washington and its first outside the Puget Sound area.

“River Park Square is proud to add Lush to our best-in-class mix of retailers in early 2020. Lush is thriving thanks to their interactive in-store experiences and unique, fresh products,” said Bryn West, vice president of River Park Square.

Rita Koefod, marketing director of River Park Square, said Lush expects to open after the first of the year but had few other details. River Park Square is owned by affiliates of the Cowles Co., owner of Spokesman-Review publisher Cowles Publishing Co.

In the prepared statement, West said Lush, which touts itself as “purveyors of good, clean fun,” is expected to add variety to the retail mix at the downtown mall.

“Merchants like Lush allow us to fill a need for high-quality products within the Spokane community while attracting leisure tourism from throughout the Inland Northwest,” she said.

Along with Lush, River Park Square will also soon add Cosmic Cowboy, Flatstick Pub and McDaddy’s to “build upon our curated blend of national and local brands,” West said.

According to the Lush website, the company has never tested its products on animals and all of its products are vegetable based.

“Lush supports fair trade, community trade and charitable initiatives,” the website states, “and follows the simple policy: Have the least possible impact on the environment while still producing beautiful and effective products.”