Lush brings back discontinued products on demand

Since 1994, Lush has grown from a small bath products store into a multinational enterprise turning over GBP 150 million a year. However, the limited size of its stores means that some niche favourites are discontinued in favour of new and better-selling additions. Responding to customer demand, the store has just launched Retro Lush: an online and mail order-only service that gives ardent fans their fix of long lost products. Despite being made in small batches to match demand, prices are similar to Lush’s current in-store range: from GBP 2.50 for a World Peace bath ball to GBP 45 for a bottle of Icon fragrance. Lush isn’t the first company to bring back old products with a helping hand from the internet: Cadbury reintroduced its Wispa bar to the UK last year after encouragement from a Facebook group. However, Lush sets itself apart by reintroducing a wide selection of products successfully without the need for mass consumer demand. Currently, few companies offer the same kind of service, as they’re either too large to be interested in producing small batches, or too small to provide goods at mass production prices. But as consumers become more and more accustomed to having products customized and personalized to match their personal preferences, we’re sure to see more examples of brands finding a way to bring back discontinued products for eager customers. (Related: Out-of-print books, printed on demand.) Spotted by: Sarah McCartney