Supermarket chains raise beauty stakes

The health and beauty sections of supermarkets are likely to be the next battleground in the fight for differentiation and market share with Safeway, Asda and Sainsbury’s revamping their offers.

Safeway and Asda have employed the same brand management company, Cato Consulting Group, to help update their health and beauty range and services.

Cato managing director Emma Flic says Asda aims to become a socially-conscious healthcare provider, while Safeway wants to offer family-oriented products and open a self-indulgent beauty section.

Safeway will have some new innovations in place for Christmas, with “hot-spots” for self-treatment products.

Flic says supermarkets are well placed to develop their health and beauty sections in the same way as US stores – a holistic approach with food being presented as an integral part of the health and beauty offer.

Sainsbury’s this week opened a “Beauty Shop” shop-within-shop in its Calcot Savacentre similar to a department store, with beauty counters selling premium products Clarins, Lancome, Vichy and Clinique.