Chancellor Rishi Sunak hails beauty industry as “essential” and "the best of British business"
Chancellor Rishi Sunak praised the innovation and entrepreneurship within the beauty industry as he opened British Beauty Week in London’s Covent Garden yesterday (September 8).
The Chancellor addressed an audience at the start of the five-day event, saying "Thank you for everything you have done to keep going over the last year. The beauty industry is the best of British business: you are creative, entrepreneurial and innovative – no wonder you are worth £30 billion to the UK economy.”
The event, called “Beauty Reimagined”, provides a platform to showcase the beauty industry’s value, talent, and innovations.
Attendees will be able to connect with beauty brands and experts in a series of talks on the future of beauty, kicked off by Sunak.
Sunak spoke highly of the beauty industry’s ability to empower clients, saying "If anyone ever doubted, the pandemic brought home that the services you all provide are essential services – something we recognised in Government when we reopened beauty services much earlier than lots of other businesses.
“Because what you give people is something that is impossible to measure in all the spreadsheets that I see – confidence, self-esteem and a sense of wellbeing…That is no small feat and I applaud you for it.”
Since its launch three years ago, the British Beauty Council, which created and runs British Beauty Week, has provided financial guidance and support to hundreds of thousands of workers within the beauty industry.
The Council’s main goal is to ensure the beauty industry is recognised and valued at all levels of government, throughout the wider economy and by consumers. The Council won an extra £500m of government-backed support during the pandemic.
Millie Kendall MBE, chief executive, British Beauty Council, said: “As we recover from the pandemic, the industry must put a greater focus embrace sustainability, championing diversity and inclusion – and showcasing opportunities for fulfilling, lifelong careers.”
British Beauty Week is taking place from September 8-12 in Covent Garden, London.