Editors' top reads: News from Revolution Beauty, REFY and more...

Here are some of this week’s news highlights handpicked by TheIndustry.beauty team.

Revolution Beauty starts new chapter as it unveils ambitious growth plan

This week, Revolution Beauty launched a new growth strategy with the ambition to deliver annual brand sales of £1 billion by 2030.

The new strategy, titled "Reigniting the Revolution", will attempt to support the business in delivering long-term profitable growth. It comes as the business looks to get back on track after experiencing legal battles and shareholder revolts following an accounting scandal that led to its suspension on the London Stock Exchange.

Sophie Smith, News Editor & Senior Writer.

Could tax-free shopping finally be reinstated?

Let's hope so, shall we? Since the then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak decided in 2020 that the tax-free shopping scheme was frankly too much hassle for the Government, retailers and brands have been hit with falling sales due to wealthy tourists (particularly those from China) choosing other European destinations for their holiday and shopping trips.

Having left the EU, the UK could have been in the unique position of offering European tourists duty free while in the UK and UK citizens could have benefited with duty free prices at the airport. Instead Heathrow Airport has seen retail sales drop by 37% compared to 2019. And that's before we get into all the lost revenue in hotels and restaurants.

Anyway, current Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has finally agreed to review the situation and hopes are high that the scheme will be reintroduced at the Budget next month, or at least soon after. We can't count our chickens het, but this is a positive step.

Lauretta Roberts, Co-founder, CEO and Editor in Chief.

REFY launched first-ever lash product at immersive pop-up

REFY, renowned for its brow sculpting and cheek products, has launched its first-ever lash product and forayed into the realm of fashion. This is particularly interesting because we usually see fashion brands expand into beauty and not the other way around.

The new REFY Lash Sculpt and curated collection will be exclusively available at a new Covent Garden pop-up, dubbed ‘The Exhibition’ from 16-28 February.

The exhibition will showcase its latest campaign, "YOU ARE THE ART". It not only celebrates beauty but it also takes its visitors "on a journey into the intersection of wearable art and innovation".

Chloé Burney, Senior News & Features Writer.