PURE Spa & Beauty is to expand beyond its native Scotland for the first time with the launch of an outlet in the heart of London’s financial services district.
The beauty therapy and treatment chain, founded by accountant Becky Woodhouse in 2002, has linked up again with Apex Hotels for the venture, which forms part of the £2 million refurbishment of the Apex City of London hotel. It is the second time Pure has opened an outlet in partnership with the Scottish hotel firm, following its launch at the Apex Waterloo Place Hotel in Edinburgh.
The London outlet, which opens this week, takes the company’s portfolio to eight, joining locations such as Silverburn Shopping Centre and West Nile Street in Glasgow, Aberdeen’s Union Square, and Edinburgh’s Ocean Terminal.
And Ms Woodhouse is confident her latest venture will strike a chord with consumers in London, observing that, while there are many spas operating at the luxury end of the market, PURE will fill a gap for accessibly-priced treatments.
Ms Woodhouse, who set up the business to provide spa and beauty treatments to time-pressed professionals, said: “We did a lot of research and the feedback was that it would be great to have that facility in the area. There are actually surprisingly few spas in this area. I also think we [bring] something that’s quite different to the London market in spa - they are very luxury and exclusive. That doesn’t cater for that middle market where it is more accessible.” Asked whether the prevailing economic conditions, including surging inflation, had come into her thoughts while she planned the move, Ms Woodhouse highlighted her confidence in the PURE Spa & Beauty model as a result of its success in Scotland. “If think if you have a really good quality product… people will always seek you out,” she said. “They will always want to spend their money wisely. I like to focus on quality, our service and really giving that amazing experience to customers, and I think that they always come back to you.”
She also said the strength of her working relationship with Apex had been a source of confidence. “They are a great company to be partners with, they are really helpful and we have got similar aspirations in terms of the customer we are targeting,” Ms Woodhouse said. “On the back of the success we have had in Edinburgh with them, we have done the London project.
“They [Apex] have got three hotels in London. They are all quite close together, so it’s quite nice have a spa in the hotel. It gives the Apex a definite point of difference to the other hotels in the area. It’s a win-win.”
And Ms Woodhouse signalled the expansion will not end with this latest outlet. She said the company, which turned over £3.5m in 2016 and is on track to lift revenue by 30 per cent this year, will continue to weigh up further opportunities on both sides of the Border. That could include further hotel partnerships. Ms Woodhouse said: “It’s about looking at the opportunities that arise and seeing if they are good for our brand and also good for the hotel. I’ve had the business for 15 years and can I tell when I go into a place whether it will work or not. With London, we and Apex saw a real opportunity to have a really lovely spa that caters for the local area and the hotel guests.”
Although the London outlet is part of a hotel, Ms Woodhouse said it has its own separate entrance - just two minutes from Tower Bridge.
She said: “It’s quite a nice set up. Our target is [not just] to target hotel guests, but to attract people into the hotel as well.”
Ms Woodhouse, who used to work for PwC, added: “Because we do accessible health and beauty, we try to cater for everyone, whether it is people working or living in the area, tourists, hotel guests – everyone. The prices will reflect the London market, but one of our brand standings is to be accessible, and that includes price.”
Brian Tapson, general manager at Apex City of London, said the partnership with PURE has “gone from strength to strength”.
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