Liberty names Rhea Cartwright as new head of beauty buying

Liberty has named noted beauty consultant and brand strategist Rhea Cartwright as its new head of beauty buying in what has been described as an "exciting shift in strategy for the ever-evolving market".

Until recently Cartwright had been head of brand partnerships at The Stack World (the latest venture from beauty entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid) and was previously a beauty director, writing for leading publications such as Vogue, The Zoe Report, Refinery29, Marie Claire and Net-A-Porter. Her career began on the shop floor of Space NK.

Liberty's beauty hall is world famous and is the "engine" of the business, according to the iconic department store's buying director Sarah Coonan, who said she was "delighted" to welcome Cartwright to the team.

"Rhea will lead the next stage of our evolution, reinventing our brand portfolio for e-commerce growth and leading the category through an expanded footprint in store in 2023. She brings a fresh approach to our business and I’m excited to see her lead the next generation of innovation in our much-loved beauty business," Coonan said.

Cartwright added: “I’m thrilled to be joining such an iconic store that has long been at the forefront of beauty discovery and has put so many brands on the map. I’m committed to ensuring that we have a world-class brand and service proposition that not only quenches the curiosity of our existing customers, but also appeals to new customers and brand partners too. The market has an unmatched appetite for beauty and our job now is to continue to rethink retail and demonstrate our long term vision across the entire Liberty ecosystem."