Lush closes UK stores in Gaza solidarity action

Lush Cosmetics closed all of its more than 100 UK shops, shuttered its factories and took down its website on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, in a one-day action the company said was intended to show solidarity with people in Gaza and to protest the blockade that is restricting humanitarian aid. Store windows and the company homepage carried the message STOP STARVING GAZA WE ARE CLOSED IN SOLIDARITY, and Lush urged the UK government to do more to halt what it called the death and destruction in the enclave, including an end to arms sales from the UK.

In a statement on its website, Lush said the move reflected widespread anguish at images of starving people in Gaza and the company’s frustration that urgent assistance has been prevented from entering the territory. The business said it would lose revenue from the day of closures and that the UK government would lose a corresponding day of tax receipts, adding that it hoped the step would prompt more decisive government action. The company also said it planned to reissue its fundraising soap Watermelon Slice, directing proceeds towards medical services in Gaza, including organisations preparing to provide prosthetic limb services.