Health and beauty sales at Bullring & Grand Central have risen by 26 per cent year-on-year, as Hammerson continues to enhance its Birmingham city centre destination with new beauty and wellbeing brands. Among the key developments is the launch of PURESEOUL, the region’s first K-Beauty store, which opened on Friday, 11th October.
In July 2024, health and beauty sales grew by 69 per cent compared to the previous year, making it the strongest performing category at the centre. This growth is partly driven by brands such as Rituals, Jo Malone, and L’Occitane, which have launched new product lines, catering to increasing demand for self-care and wellness items.
Katy Letch, Head of Leasing UK at Hammerson, commented: “From the all-encompassing luxury experience at Selfridges, premium wellness brands Kiehl’s and L’Occitane, to household names such as Boots and MAC, Bullring & Grand Central is the home of health and beauty in Birmingham. Customer appetite for beauty and wellbeing products reflects the demand we are seeing from premium brands including PURESEOUL, Rituals and Sephora for quality and well-connected city centre destinations.”
PURESEOUL, a leader in K-Beauty in the UK, has opened its second store outside London, occupying an 800 sq ft unit on the middle level of Bullring. The new store offers over 900 products across skincare, make-up, and hair care. Exclusive UK debuts include products from brands such as BBIA, Milk Touch, and AOU. The store is designed with PURESEOUL’s signature blue-hued aesthetic and features a wall dedicated to more than 60 different types of sheet masks, alongside a TikTok-inspired display featuring social media bestsellers.
Leslie Tang, CEO of PURESEOUL, explained the brand’s expansion strategy: “Bullring & Grand Central has a reputation as a destination for regional firsts and experience-driven curation of brands. It is this combination that makes it the ideal location for our first-ever Midlands store and second outside of London. Expanding the PURESEOUL brand into the Midlands has been a key priority for the business, especially given Birmingham is our second biggest market in the UK, and we are pleased to welcome our K-beauty lovers in the region to our brand-new experiential space.”
The opening of PURESEOUL is part of Bullring & Grand Central’s strategy to diversify its offering. Recent additions include the Midlands’ first Nike Rise, Pull&Bear, and Bershka stores, alongside new leisure concepts such as TOCA Social, Lane7, and Sandbox VR. The beauty category will see further growth with Sephora set to open in November, marking another regional first for Birmingham.
