Lush closed every UK store, factory and website for Gaza

On Wednesday (3rd September 2025), Lush did something almost unthinkable: they shut down everything, over 100 UK stores, their factories, and the website, for one day. Every window and online screen declared: “Stop starving Gaza. We are closed in solidarity.”

The message greeting visitors to the Lush website on Wednesday.

They willingly sacrificed roughly £300,000 in lost takings (some sources even estimate closer to £350k with wages included), all to send a message to their government and the world.

It’s beyond symbolic. It’s bold, brave, and visible in a way a social post or statement never could be.

Why this move is brilliant (and real)

• Authenticity: Lush didn’t just issue a safe corporate line, they acted. Their history of activism (environment, mental health, even anti-spycops campaigns) makes this unmistakably genuine.

• Visibility: All those shuttered stores created headlines globally. The world noticed, even though the closures were UK-only.

• Risk: They risked backlash. And they obviously know the game, today playing it safe will not build trust.

This isn’t a PR stunt. It’s brand activism done with purpose.

More than a closure: the Watermelon Soap

Lush didn’t stop at shutting down. They relaunched the Watermelon Soap, with 75% of proceeds going to medical services in Gaza, including prosthetic limb support for adults and children.

I’ve already ordered some myself, and it’s one of the easiest ways to make a difference. If you can, please purchase here: Watermelon Soap – Lush UK.

Global press = global spotlight for the cause

Yes, they closed stores only in the UK, but the story went global. Not only did Lush turn their biggest retail spaces into billboards for Gaza, with posters reading “Stop starving Gaza” on high streets, in shopping centres, and at train stations, I saw it myself in Liverpool Street Station yesterday, but they also secured worldwide coverage.

And this is where the bravery really shows. They are willing to risk their brand reputation. They will no doubt lose customers who disagree with them. But they will also gain new ones. I wasn’t planning on buying a watermelon soap, and here I am with five of them now.

Taking a stand inside the business too

It’s worth remembering this wasn’t just about customers. By shutting every shop and factory, Lush also made a decision that directly affected thousands of employees. Not all of them will share the same views on Palestine. Some may have found the move uncomfortable, even alienating. That is a huge risk for any company, and most employers avoid politics precisely to prevent internal conflict.

But that is what makes this action so powerful. Lush accepted that risk and made the call anyway. They were clear that values come before comfort. And when employees see leadership live out those values, even if they don’t fully agree, it often earns respect in the long run.

Critics: “What’s closing a shop got to do with starving people?”

It’s a common criticism, but it misunderstands how influence works. The closure was never going to feed families directly. What it did was create disruption, visibility, and political pressure.

Symbolic protest has always been part of social change. From strikes to sit-ins, the point is not that the act itself solves the crisis, it is that it highlights injustice in a way that makes ignoring it impossible. Lush forced the issue onto front pages, into TV news segments, and across global media. That amplification matters.

By shutting their doors, they turned silence into noise and reminded governments that doing nothing is still a choice.

Lesson for brands: do more than talk, prove it

Most companies freeze. Fear grips them. They think silence is safe, until it becomes complicity by default. Lush proves you can be brave, vocal, and visible, and still be a business.

This doesn’t mean every brand should follow suit. But if you are going to claim values, you have to live them, even if your margins shrink for a day.

Lush didn’t just talk, they shut it all down for Gaza. They made headlines. They rehomed soap profits into medical aid. They put global eyes on a crisis.

Lush, you’re just fucking brilliant for doing this.