Marks & Spencer expands partnership with Estée Lauder into skincare and make-up

Marks & Spencer has expanded its partnership with global beauty giant Estée Lauder, with 17 stores across the UK adding the brand's beauty counters and some 400 further products being added to M&S.com.

The move into skincare and make-up builds on the retailer's existing relationship with Estée Lauder, which had been focused on fragrance.

Stores including Bluewater, Cribbs Causeway and Fosse Park will now have Estée Lauder beauty counters and brand experts present in stores with nine further stores to be added by the end of the year.

The online offer has been curated with the M&S customer in mind and includes some of the brand's icons including Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation and Advanced Night Repair.

M&S has stated its intention to become a true authority on beauty and the deal with Estée Lauder brings the total number of third-party beauty brands available in-store and on its website to 53. Some 40% of the retailer's beauty sales are now generated by third-party brands. Other major brands on offer include Clinique, Emma Hardie, Color Wow, Eve Lom, This Works, Nuxe and Pai Skincare.

M&S Head of Beauty James Mugford, said: “We’re delighted to build on the strength of our partnership with Estée Lauder, by offering make-up and skincare. As we continue to reshape for growth, our focus is on combining the strength of our core beauty offer with carefully selected third-party partners as we seek to become the trusted editor for Beauty. We’re confident that the addition of Estée Lauder make-up and skincare will complement our existing beauty offer and support us as we continue to broaden our appeal, helping us become more relevant, more often, to our customers.”

Luke Evans, Vice President / General Manager at Estée Lauder commented: “We are thrilled to partner with M&S, a trusted and growing beauty destination, to bring our iconic products to M&S customers in the UK. Grounded in our night science leadership, skin tone authority, and fragrance expertise, we are excited to deliver our best-in-class products and an elevated, high-touch experience to M&S Beauty halls nationwide.”

The first 17 stores to offer Estée Lauder beauty counters are: Bluewater, Brooklands, Camberley, Cheshire Oaks, Cribbs Causeway, Culverhouse Cross, Fosse Park, Gemini, Gyle, Handforth, Leeds White Rose, Liffey Valley, Lisburn, London Colney, Meadowhall, Shoreham, Wolstanton.