LUSH says its shops will reopen next week with handmade stock that is days old.

The Poole-based cosmetics brand will open 88 of its branches in England and Wales on Monday, April 12, when non-essential retailers are allowed to trade.

Six Lush spas – including the one at Lush’s original Poole High Street site – will also reopen.

Lush says it intends to invest in high streets and in new customer experiences.

Customers will be able to bring back any full-sized Lush plastic packaging for recycling and earn 50p towards that day’s purchases under the company’s Bring It Back deposit scheme.

Kat Hannible, Lush Retail director in the UK and Irleand, said: “We’re back to serving our customers and community and we couldn’t be happier. Thank you to everyone planning to come and visit us. We can’t wait to see you.”

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All Lush’s English stores will open apart from its branch in London’s Oxford Street, which is being refurbished to house new experiences previously tried in Lush’s “concept shops” around the world. The store, which the company says will be “Lush’s ultimate shopping destination in London”, will open on May 1.

The company said: “At a time when physical retail is under huge economic pressure, Lush is committed to continuing investment in the high streets and providing innovation and new customer experiences.”

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Lush said safety measures in its shops would include socially-distanced product demonstrations and the safe use of testers with “squeaky clean individual spatulas and non-contact procedures”.

Staff will wear face coverings and customers will be asked to wear a mask if they can and adhere to social distancing requirements.

A continuous cleaning rota will be in place and customers and customers will be invited to wash their hands when they arrive, with their own piece of soap peel or Lush hand sanitiser.

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Shops will have sample pots of some of their most popular products, with a tamper-proof seal. Customers will be welcome to try samples.

Till points will have recycled and recyclable protective screens.

The shops will also be using Lush Lens, which allows customers with the Lush mobile app to scan unpackaged products to see information on ingredients and price, along with “how to use” demonstrations.

The chain is offering a click and collect service, virtual consultations and a system for taking orders from the queue outside the shops so that products are ready when customers enter.

Forty-five Lush stores are also offering same-day deliveries in their surrounding areas.