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Holland & Barret & Lush

132 replies

abigailsnan · 04/03/2022 09:15

I am shocked to read H&B is owned by Russians and the some Lush soaps are made in Russia will you boycott these stores ?

OP posts:
PheonixGlitterRepublic · 05/03/2022 14:14

So yes it has links to Putin-linked oligarchs, but those links are now broken.

The links are not broken. They remain shareholders, they just can’t get any money from their investment right now as their assets are frozen. When the sanctions are lifted, they can get their money again.

SlashBeef · 05/03/2022 14:20

Have been boycotting Lush for ages anyway because of the trans nonsense.
Don't use H&B so that's neither here nor there.

CowboyJo · 05/03/2022 14:20

I am boycotting Russian products. AND all companies operating in Russia as far as is reasonable.

The people who think it's because of the Russian civilians are missing the point. All Russian business directly funds Putin's pocket from taxes and overhead.

Hibbledibble · 05/03/2022 14:20

Lush had some very ill advised anti police rhetoric, so worth avoid anyway.

CowboyJo · 05/03/2022 14:20

Also I have already been boycotting Lush because of their transgenderism-appeasing agenda. Problem is getting my DD11 on board

Bringonsummer19 · 05/03/2022 14:24

Yes 100% I will be. We will be buying no primary products from Russia and will be doing our best to understand all supply chains and whether a Russia exposure and then will not buy.

Satsumaeater · 05/03/2022 14:29

I use neither store. I wouldn't boycott shops run by Russians anyway. This isn't the 20th century and they are not the enemy within.

And I wouldn't want to be held responsible for Brexit or Boris, given I didn't vote for either. So I don't know why ordinary Russians should be held responsible for Putin when they can't vote for him or are given no choice but to vote for him.

Satsumaeater · 05/03/2022 14:30

All Russian business directly funds Putin's pocket from taxes and overhead

and if it pays taxes and business rates in the UK? and its employees pay income tax?

Satsumaeater · 05/03/2022 14:31

@Marmelace

Do any of the Brits on here feel responsible for Blair taking us into war, think about that when you start demonising anything Russian
nope because I didn't vote for him either
mumofEandE · 05/03/2022 14:32

@FrodoAteMyRing

What is this sh>t? You do realize that Russians are not their government and are not the ones who made the decision to invade Ukraine!? How would you have felt if the rest of the world had boycotted British shops when Tony Blair invaded Iraq!? Or if people in Ireland right now boycotted UK shops, since you know, you never bothered to leave the Irish alone, did you? How about if I make that personal and go on about what scumbags English ppl are because of all the horrible things they have done and are still doing today? How does that make you feel, huh? You English invader? For fucks sake this ignorance is insane!
I know plenty of Irish people who still do their best to avoid English shops and products (in Ireland)
Mb76 · 05/03/2022 14:33

Lush soaps are made in Poole, it’s a British company. There are several other factories in some countries including Germany and Canada. Lush Russia imports most stuff from the U.K. because their customers prefer authentic products, by that I mean British brand and they want British made products.
I fully support your rights to boycott OP but please get your facts right.

MilkWasABadChoice · 05/03/2022 14:39

The letter from the chairman of LetterOne says the board is under no obligation to reinstate the two billionaires’ shareholder rights even if sanctions are lifted, so I don’t think it’s clear that they will ever regain control. As far as I’m aware they have never yet been paid a dividend either from the business.

jeaux90 · 05/03/2022 14:42

I don't buy from Lush because of their anti safeguarding messaging around chest binders.

CorvusPurpureus · 05/03/2022 14:47

Like so many PPs, I boycott Lush because of their misogynist stance on women's rights, the fact that they're a safeguarding catastrophe re the binders nonsense, & their tendency to offer up their staff to sexual assault by leery customers. No thank you.

Not especially fussed who owns them, & I really like their stuff, actually...I know it's very Marmite, but I did the majority of my shopping for shampoo & smellies for many years.

Gwenhwyfar · 05/03/2022 15:10

@DuesToTheDirt

This is getting ridiculous. My boss is Russian, should I quit my job in protest?
Depends if your company's profits go to fund Putin.
Gwenhwyfar · 05/03/2022 15:13

@FrodoAteMyRing

RUSSIANS ARE NOT PUTIN! I know this is hard to grasp for some who also believe the UK can do know wrong and is oh so different in their own invading countries (to this day) Hmm
Do you not see the point of economic sanctions then? We shouldn't be funding Putin in any way. (Having said that Amazon is terrible in some ways and I don't have many other options for buying supplements).
Gwenhwyfar · 05/03/2022 15:13

@Satsumaeater

All Russian business directly funds Putin's pocket from taxes and overhead

and if it pays taxes and business rates in the UK? and its employees pay income tax?

As would a competitor that would take its place.
PheonixGlitterRepublic · 05/03/2022 19:42

The letter from the chairman of LetterOne says the board is under no obligation to reinstate the two billionaires’ shareholder rights even if sanctions are lifted, so I don’t think it’s clear that they will ever regain control. As far as I’m aware they have never yet been paid a dividend either from the business.

Whether they ever regain the control attached to the shareholdings, they would nevertheless be entitled to the economic rights which have currently been frozen. They would also be entitled to any funds derived from the sale of the value of those shares should they divest themselves of the shareholding- L1 is worth about 22bn apparently. I’m also curious as to how much you know about their dividend payments to date and why you think a dividend has never been paid to date? It’s ultimately an investment firm.

MilkWasABadChoice · 05/03/2022 23:04

Hm interesting - there’s a lot I don’t know about how this would work for them in the future. You evidently understand it better.
Of the 22bn “patient capital” managed by L1, I assume most comes into the fund from external investors but I don’t really know about how the funds are structured.

Re the dividends - to clarify, I was actually just thinking about H&B, not about the full L1 portfolio. H&B is likely quite tightly restricted from paying dividends under the terms of its debt financing. Unlike many other private-equity owned businesses, it has never - as far as I can remember - raised more debt to pay a dividend, basically because it hasn’t been performing too well and is highly leveraged. (I’ve sort of followed UK retail in the past for work.)

WanderingFruitWonderer · 07/03/2022 05:44

I find some of this thread a bit disturbing.
Most companies have something unethical about them, especially big companies. If you read The Ethical Consumer you realise just how difficult it is to be a truly ethical shopper. It's astonishing how many companies have something unethical about them, somewhere along the chain of production and marketing.
I try to do my best. I've boycotted Nestle for many years, due to the baby milk scandal, and their animal testing, and general unethical practices. I'm a vegan, so do my best to avoid anything that's involved animal exploitation.
But avoiding all products that have some kind of Russian link, is a totally different matter - it's knee jerk, and even bordering on xenophobic.
I presume most of us here are either British or have British links? Britain is possibly the guiltiest country in the world! Historically speaking. Some of it, not that long ago, such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Should the rest of the world boycott everything with a British link? You'd say that's unfair, as ordinary British people didn't do those things, which is correct. So it is with Russia and ordinary Russian people. I'm heartbroken by current events, and Putin's actions are indefensible. But it's not fair to punish all Russians. That's racism like any other.
As for H&B and Lush - I don't know enough about H&B. I don't go there much, as we have a great independent wholefood shop locally, but I go occasionally, and certainly won't be boycotting them. Lush is one of the most ethical companies in Britain. Their policies on the environment and animal rights are exemplary, also human rights, including women's rights. Most of their products are made in the country of sale to avoid air miles. I had a summer job with them years ago, and it was a great company to work for at the time. I can't comment on now, but I know they pay the living wage, which is reassuring. My only complaint about Lush is that it's too expensive. We don't have one locally, so I don't go often; but I pop in sometimes if I'm passing one, and buy a bubble bar as an occasional treat. I will continue to do this, with a clean conscience.
I feel desperately sorry for those poor souls running for their lives in the Ukraine. It's horrific Sad but I don't personally believe boycotting anything with a Russian link (virtually impossible anyway) is the answer, or will help anyone. I've got no idea what the answer is?

Gwenhwyfar · 08/03/2022 12:14

"Should the rest of the world boycott everything with a British link? "

There's an argument for that during the illegal invasion of Iraq, yes.

"You'd say that's unfair, as ordinary British people didn't do those things, which is correct. "

I wouldn't really say it's unfair because the British people voted for Blair and didn't get rid of him early. There were massive protests, but if there had been more outrage, it wouldn't have happened.

I think British people at the time are even more guilty than Russians now as they live in a dictatorship where dissent is dangerous and propaganda is rife.

However, the boycotting of Russian companies is aimed at weakening the Russian state, not the people, even if it can do both. It's the same thing for economic sanctions.

WanderingFruitWonderer · 08/03/2022 17:45

@Gwenhwyfar I see what you're saying. But, I do think there can be an element of xenophobia driving the boycotting of everything from a specific 'guilty' country. I guess it depends on each individual boycotter.
I was very young at the time of the Iraq war, but remember feeling completely horrified by it, and I protested (the big march in London and other vigils) against it. The protests were ignored and I felt pretty helpless. My recollection is that the vast majority of people in Britain were opposed to it? At least virtually everyone I knew. We were fortunate at least to be able to protest freely and without risk of arrest. A freedom not enjoyed in Russia today. I think it's partly because I was so anti British involvement in Iraq, and remember the feeling of utter horror at my own government (that I didn't vote for) engaging in an illegal immoral war, that I feel such empathy for ordinary anti-war Russian people now. As well (needless to say) as huge empathy for terrified Ukrainians. I remain unconvinced that boycotts of everything connected to Russia will achieve anything whatsoever. Almost everything's interconnected now anyway, so a boycott of this kind, is virtually impossible to implement fully...

CallMeMabel · 08/03/2022 18:00

If you boycotted every company that is corrupt or exploitative, you wouldn't be able buy anything processed or manufactured. So I just boycott Nestle who do far more harm than the likes of Lush or H&B could ever do.
The nasty xenophobia on this site about anything Russian is disgusting. The people who live in a country and the regime in control are two very different things. Putin doesn't give a shit where you shop, ordinary people will suffer though.

WanderingFruitWonderer · 09/03/2022 04:07

@CallMeMabel I totally agree. Good post 👏

PheonixGlitterRepublic · 09/03/2022 14:37

The nasty xenophobia on this site about anything Russian is disgusting. The people who live in a country and the regime in control are two very different things. Putin doesn't give a shit where you shop, ordinary people will suffer though.

I think you missed the part where it was stated that H and B is owned by Russian oligarchs sanctioned due to their close ties to and funding of Putin.