SHAFTESBURY : ANNOUNCES THE OPENING OF WORLD FIRST MEN’S MAKEUP STORE WAR PAINT ON CARNABY STREET

Shaftesbury announces the opening of world first men's makeup store War Paint for Men, located at 29 Carnaby Street. The store boasts a spacious 499 sq ft with a product section, in-store barber's, interactive digital Q&A with Founder Danny Gray and an innovative service that creates bespoke foundation or tinted moisturiser made precisely for your skin tone in-store.

Samantha Bain-Mollison, Retail Director, Shaftesbury says: 'We are delighted that War Paint has chosen Carnaby as the location of their first ever store. The brand's new and exciting concept is a great addition to the area. The personalised in store experiences such as bespoke foundation or tinted moisturiser creation and in store barber adds to the stores personality and exclusivity. Their in store partnership with The Lions Barber Collective allows War Paint to support men's mental health charities, a great initiative and addition to the store'.

UK brand War Paint for Men is the leading men's makeup brand in the world, producing tinted moisturisers, concealer, beard and brow gels and more, all tailored to the male market, will open to the public on Friday 23rd of July. The world-first store will sell a full range of War Paint for Men products, and offer men the chance to learn about make-up options and trial products.

War Paint's founding principle was to offer men more personal care choice, and through looking and feeling better, improve male confidence. The brand and its founder Danny Gray have been passionate supporters of men's mental health issues, a theme that will feature strongly in the store. This has led to a collaboration with The Lions Barber Collective, a group of not-for-profit top-flight barbers, trained in mental health support to help prevent male suicide. The War Paint store will act as their first permanent home and by paying for a haircut, customers will be helping to save lives.

Founder of War Paint for men Danny Gray said : 'We started our company with a digital-first business model which is hosted on the Shopify platform. Shopify has played a key role in helping War Paint access its target demographic, market itself and build a strong e-commerce offering. Our direct-to-consumer platform drives a majority of revenues. In year one we saw £380k in sales, with this figure doubling in our second year. Now we're opening a bricks and mortar store, and our point of sale system is also powered Shopify and seamlessly links to our online business.'

Danny Gray further comments: 'I'm so proud and excited to be opening the world's first men's makeup brand store in London. For me it was so important that this wasn't just about opening a shop to sell products, it was about creating somewhere for people to have an experience. I wanted to create a relaxed, inviting place to help men feel comfortable to have a conversation and learn more about makeup, get a haircut or even talk about mental health. Everything we're trying to do as a brand is about normalising men using products and tools to help them feel more confident and our store is here to do just that.'

The opening represents another milestone in the story of the brand. War Paint for Men has continued to exceed expectations with products now sold into more than 80 countries. Accounts includes the first men's makeup counter in a retail store at John Lewis, as well distribution in Harvey Nichols, REISS and MR Porter in the UK, Sephora in Australia, Loft in Japan and Arnotts in Ireland, bringing men's make up into new territory. Pivotal sports partnerships have also been established with Norwich City FC, and in Rugby League with Wigan Warriors where Danny and War Paint are not only leading the conversation on men's makeup but also raising awareness for men's mental health through multiple partnership initiatives.

Technological 'Firsts' will also be a feature of the store, and will help men discover the products best suited to them individually. One is 'Ask Danny', an interactive digital Q&A with Founder Danny Gray. Consumers can ask a screen, displaying Danny sitting in a chair, any question about War Paint or men's make-up. High-tech programming and pre-recorded responses will allow Danny to answer any consumer question. Another technological feature will be 'Designed by Me', an innovative service that creates bespoke foundation or tinted moisturiser made precisely for your skin tone in-store.

WAR PAINT CARNABY ST OPENS JULY 23RD

OPENING HOURS: Mon - Sat 10-7pm & Sun - 12 - 6pm

29 CARNABY STREET, W1F 7DH

Joint agents Hanover Green Retail, Nash Bond and Cushman & Wakfield acted on behalf of Shaftesbury.

For more information please contact Sister London: [e-mail] / 020 7287 9601

About Shaftesbury

Shaftesbury owns and manages a 16 acre property portfolio in the liveliest parts of London's West End. The portfolio comprises of restaurants, cafés, pubs and shops, extending to apartments and offices in the highly popular, sought-after and prosperous locations of Carnaby, Seven Dials and Chinatown, together with substantial ownerships in East and West Covent Garden, Soho and Fitzrovia. All our properties are close to the main West End Underground stations, and within ten minutes' walk of the two West End transport hubs for the Elizabeth Line, at Tottenham Court Road and Bond Street.

@shaftesburyplc shaftesbury.co.uk

About Carnaby

Carnaby is in the heart of London's West End, where over 100 retail brands of quality and distinction and over 60 independent restaurants, cafes and bars can be found across 14 streets, including the world famous Carnaby Street. Carnaby is a unique and iconic experiential shopping, dining and leisure destination.

Follow @CarnabyLondonand visit Carnaby.co.uk for full updates, news and information.

About War Paint

War Paint is a brand that is fueled by a desire to help men feel good and provide them with the confidence to be themselves. Men wearing makeup shouldn't carry a stigma. Rather, it should offer the potential to empower. War Paint challenges masculine stereotypes and gives men a choice.www.warpaintformen.comInstagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

About Lions Barber Collective

The Collective started as a group of international barbers that wanted to raise awareness for suicide prevention from within the safe environment of the barber shop, where men found it a safe place to talk. Founded in 2015 and led by Tom Chapman the collective has developed to become much more. They even created bespoke BarberTalk training to teach Barbers to RECOGNISE, ASK, LISTEN and HELP and continue to save lives. Off the back of this Tom has been invited to deliver talks all over the globe. From TEDx talks to features on the BBC, Channel 4, FOX News (USA) Virgin Radio, TalkSport and multiple appearances in national and international press.

www.thelionsbarbercollective.com

About DCYPHER

Warpaint Foundation: Powered by DCYPHER

Introducing the world's first fully customisable foundation, made from scratch - for every skin tone. Now available in-store at Warpaint for the first time - this is a foundation shopping experience like nothing you've experienced before. Using innovative new technology, DCYPHER takes a 'reading' of your skin to accurately determine your unique shade - whilst you choose your preferred texture, finish and coverage. Then, we create your very first, bespoke foundation - exactly matched to your skin tone and made how you like it, in front of your eyes.