London department store Liberty has said it will see a return on the £500,000 it invested in overhauling its beauty department by the end of this year, just six months after redevelopment.

The historic London department store revamped its tudor-style ground-floor beauty department in June - installing archways to accommodate increased visitor circulation, as well as opening up brand makeup stations to face out on to the street windows - and it is now generating 19% of Liberty’s total revenue, up from 11% prior to the redevelopment.

Liberty assistant buyer, beauty, Sarah Coonan said the department is on track to reach 20% of the department store’s total revenue.

According to Coonan, it was the first time in five years the department had been redesigned. It now carries 87 brands including Ren, Aesop and Cowshed. Double-digit growth in brand sales since June contributed to the department’s performance, with Aesop now trading at 60% up on last year.

Liberty briefed retail design consultancy 20.20, which has previously worked with the department store, to reorganise the space, consolidating the amount of inventory on the sales floor, focusing on product “hotspots” or “pause points” that offer consumers a mix of products and brands to reflect Liberty’s “emporium” positioning.

Other key design elements include a widespread use of suspended glass shelving and commissioned wall illustrations by artist Kerry Lemon.

Last month, Liberty reported a 16% increase in sales for the six months to July 31.

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