The cosmetics sector is one of the most demanding in retail. With thousands of product lines, unique displays, and high theft rates, keeping shelves fully stocked and displays looking perfect is a real challenge for brands. But at eXPD8, we’ve spent the last year perfecting a cost-effective merchandising solution that delivers real value to our clients while solving these industry challenges.

Throughout 2022, 2023 and into 2024, our beauty team has grown significantly. We’ve refined our training, secured new contracts, and expanded existing partnerships, all while maintaining our focus on delivering efficient and high-quality service.

2023/2024: A Time for Growth

In the past couple of years, our team has made huge strides in the beauty sector. We increased our hours worked by 13%, won two new contracts from competitors, and retained our major partnership with Tesco. Notable achievements included:

• Securing a new contract with Morrisons, managing cosmetics displays across all stores.
• Launching and managing a new nail and lash bay in Poundland for Solent Group.
• Delivering  13,000 range changes across five retailers.

Elevating Training Standards

Investing in training has been key to our success. We doubled our central office team and revamped our beauty-specific training modules, ensuring our merchandisers are always up to date. All beauty merchandisers must complete the new modules before starting work and are rewarded with premium pay for their expertise—helping us maintain consistently high service levels across the UK.

Tackling Challenges at Morrisons

Our new contract with Morrisons required a fresh approach, especially with their stock ordering process. Unlike other retailers, Morrisons uses a manual system for ordering cosmetics, making it a crucial part of our team’s role.

While this was a new challenge, we’ve helped Morrisons improve stock availability by identifying issues they hadn’t previously noticed. Working closely with both Morrisons and their distribution partner, we’ve started to resolve key challenges, making stock more available for customers.

Building Relationships and Data Insights

We’ve built strong relationships with both Morrisons and the brands they stock, giving them new insights into in-store performance. A key part of this was developing a Power BI dashboard, offering real-time access to our data, helping both Morrisons and their brands make better decisions.

Success in Poundland

Winning the contract to manage Solent Group’s new nail and lash bay in Poundland was another major milestone. Our competitive pricing, strong relationship with Solent, and past success in Poundland helped secure the deal. We oversaw the entire launch, including setting up displays, managing stock levels, and even supporting an in-store event with Love Island’s Demi Jones, ensuring the brand made a big impact.

Finding Efficiencies with Tesco

When Tesco asked us to help them find efficiencies in their merchandising operations, we conducted time trials in stores to optimise call times without compromising service. Finding efficiencies to support with budget challenges helping Tesco have their best Q4 in cosmetics in three years—proving that smart efficiencies can lead to better results.

Looking Ahead

The eXPD8 Beauty team has worked tirelessly over the past year to secure new contracts, improve services, and support our clients. As we look to the future, we remain committed to growing our business, refining our processes, and continuing to deliver exceptional results in the beauty sector.