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3rd September 2025
11:26am BST
Cosmetics giant Lush has closed all of its UK stores for a day in protest against Israel's actions in Gaza.
Along with shutting its more than 100 UK stores, Lush has also closed down its factories and website for the entirety of Wednesday (September 3).
Those trying to access the website are met with a message in the colours of the Palestinian flag which reads "Stop starving Gaza, we are closed in solidarity."
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The business has said it hopes that by shutting its stores and denying the government of a day's worth of tax, it will be pressure Keir Starmer into greater action over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Lush said in a statement: “Across the Lush business we share the anguish that millions of people feel seeing the images of starving people in Gaza, Palestine. Like the rest of the world, we struggle to find ways we can help whilst the Israeli government is preventing urgent humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza.
“One thing Lush can currently send into Gaza is our love and a strong message that we stand in solidarity. This will take the form of halting business-as-usual by shutting our UK shops, website and factories for one day on Wednesday 3rd September 2025, with our shop windows displaying the message STOP STARVING GAZA – WE ARE CLOSED IN SOLIDARITY.”
The statement goes on to say that shutting the shops was "not an easy decision" and the firm has apologised for any inconvenience caused to its customers.
But it continues: "We know that many of our customers share the same anxiety about the current situation in Gaza. Our fundraising soap, Watermelon Slice, has been the most successful single issue fundraising product in the history of Lush, indicating how strongly our customers feel and we are grateful to have been able to raise funds towards child mental health support in Palestine.
"We now plan to make this soap available again, with the funds going to medical services, including charities that are gearing up to provide prosthetic limb services to adults and children injured in Gaza.
"Whilst Lush is losing a day of takings, this also means that the UK Government is losing a day of tax contributions from Lush and our customers. We hope they too hear the message our closure sends, with more Government action needed to bring an immediate stop to the death and destruction, including an end to arms sales from the UK."
For months, Israel has severely restricted the amount of aid and supplies allowed into Gaza, with charities and organisations repeatedly warning of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the region.
This week, the world's leading association of genocide scholars declared Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. The International Association of Genocide Scholars stated in a resolution on Monday that Israel's conduct meets the legal definition as laid out in the UN convention on genocide.
An arrest warrant is still out for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the International Criminal Court, over accusations of crimes against humanity, including using starvation as a weapon of war.
Israel has also been widely condemned by the international community for a huge new ground offensive in Gaza City, with theUnited Nations warning the impact will be "beyond catastrophic" for the entire Gaza Strip.
