Pritti Mistry<\/span>Business reporter<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Most companies and bosses would squirm at the idea of being called “woke” and may even regard it as an insult. But not Mark Constantine. <\/p>\n Lush’s outspoken co-founder and chief executive wears it like a badge of honour and is not ashamed of turning it into a business philosophy.<\/p>\n The firm is renowned for putting activism at the heart of its bright bath bombs business, tackling a range of issues from trans rights to police accountability.<\/p>\n The 73-year-old is still steering the empire with the same principles that have defined its three decades on the High Street, which has seen it expand from a small Dorset store into a global brand with 869 outlets and an annual turnover of \u00a3690m.<\/p>\n Lush has taken some of the boldest stances in British retail including shutting down some of its social media accounts<\/a> over concerns about the impact on young people, and more recently closing stores for a day to protest against starvation in Gaza<\/a>.<\/p>\n “I like being woke,” admits Constantine.<\/p>\n A self-confessed “over-achiever and a nerd” who loves learning, he is up before the crack of dawn for his main passion – writing about birdsong – in between his meditation and Alexander technique, a therapy for good posture and movement.<\/p>\n But his message is crystal clear to those who openly resent his values: “You shouldn’t come in my shop.”<\/p>\n It’s a strong statement in an era when many businesses avoid political or cultural debates for fear of alienating customers and risking profits.<\/p>\n Ben & Jerry’s has long worn its social activism<\/a> on its sleeve, which has caused tension with its parent company.<\/p>\n Where Lush has remained an independent firm, Constantine believes selling out means sacrificing the business’s values.<\/p>\n “If you’ve sold your business to someone else, I think you’re asking a lot for them to do everything you want. What should Ben and Jerry have done? They should never have sold.”<\/p>\n Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen maintains they were opposed to selling but as a publicly-traded company, says US regulations forced their hand and the brand’s social mission was written into the contract with the parent company.<\/p>\n “I have a huge appreciation for Lush, their values, and how they use their most powerful tool – their voice – to advocate for those values,” Cohen told the BBC, following Constantine’s Big Boss interview, adding, “I’m not ‘asking’ for anything.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Speaking to the BBC’s Big Boss Interview podcast in the busy run-up to Christmas, Lush’s Constantine says preparing for the festive period is “very like war”. <\/p>\n “You have your troops, you have your supplies. Everything’s organised and ready. And then it’s just a question of when will the onslaught occur?”<\/p>\n He suggests that men may be more likely to be out buying last-minute presents, saying with a laugh the company sees a lot of men “who come in on Christmas Eve and tell us they’re regulars”.<\/p>\n But the key to attracting shoppers in the first place is by making retail “fun”, says Constantine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Lush has turned shopping into more of an experience with offerings such as spa treatments and parties for customers.<\/p>\n And it’s experiences such as these that could help reverse the High Street’s declining prospects, he believes.<\/p>\n While some business leaders have suggested that a rise in employers’ National Insurance contributions and in the minimum wage<\/a> could result in hiring freezes, Constantine views it differently.<\/p>\n “It’s good news for everyone and it’s good for the economy because you’ve got more money coming into the economy at the biggest point.<\/p>\n “The people who are getting these raises are at the bottom. <\/p>\n “I’m delighted to pay the extra money to get the staff up to a proper level, and I think we should celebrate that.”<\/p>\n However Lush’s pay record is not without blemish. In 2020, it admitted to underpaying its Australian workers<\/a> more than $4m over nearly a decade. A company spokesperson told the BBC after the Big Boss interview: “We made mistakes, we found those mistakes and have paid the money we owed, and we are ensuring those errors cannot happen again.” <\/p>\n![\"Lush](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/a252\/live\/5e8e7980-dccc-11f0-bb5b-8b829d936cf4.jpg.webp\")
Lush<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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