Beauty Bay: Beauty giant which stocks more than 200 brands shuts down website amid administration woes - what to do if you've ordered from them
A British beauty website has suddenly closed its website amid reports the owners have had to call in administrators.
A message on the Beauty Bay website currently reads: “Beauty Bay is offline right now, we'll be back shortly.” There is no more information about why the website has been closed or when it may return.
The message first appeared on the website yesterday (Wednesday February 18). According to Retail Gazette, the comestics company has filed a notice to appoint administrators to “protect the position” of the company.
The online retailer stocked make-up, skincare and beauty products from more than 200 well-known brands including Clinique and MAC. It also has an own-brand product range.
Retail Gazette further report that the sudden website closure comes after the business has been seeking a sale or investment during recent weeks with restructuring firm Interpath. Beauty Bay owners, and brothers, Arron and David Gabbie launched a sale process in 2022 which did not lead to a transaction, the outlet said.
Having filed the notice of intention, the company has 10 days in which creditors cannot pursue any action against it.
A Beauty Bay spokesperson said they are hoping to “find a way forward”. A statement said: “Like many other companies operating across the retail space, we’ve been battling hard in the face of strong headwinds over the past 12 months. Cost inflation and fragile consumer confidence have had a heavy impact on consumer spending.
“Over recent weeks, we’ve been working closely with our stakeholders to find a path forward, including exploring options for sale and investment, with the aim of putting in place a stable financial platform upon which we can continue to build.
“While we continue to explore the options available to us, we have today taken steps to protect the position of the business as we strive to find a way forward.”
Beauty Bay was founded by the Gabbie brothers in 1999 and was originally called Fragrance Bay. It was rebranded as Beauty Bay in 2007, and began selling beauty, skincare and make-up products too.
The Beauty Bay social media pages are still live at the time of writing, with the last official post being uploaded on Monday (February 16). On a post from the day before, Sunday February 15, however, one customer noted issues with the website. “The website is literally empty. Is BB going down??” they questioned. There was not an official response from the brand.
Earlier today, another customer commented on the same post, asking for the company to give more information. “Will you communicate about the closing of the site ? I believe your customers need to know what is happening,” they said.
On the company’s final post, one person commented to say they hadn’t received their order for many days. “Why haven't you replied to my DMs (direct messages) about my package??? Its been over 10 days,” they asked. Another customer, who seemingly has not received a recent order, said they will be contacting their bank to get a refund.
Beauty Bay has not yet issued any information regarding outstanding customer orders or refunds but, as a general rule, when online orders are not fulfilled in any circumstance customers can initiate a chargeback or "Section 75" claim through their bank or credit card provider stating that goods have not been received.
If you used a Buy Now, Pay Later service, you can contact them and ask them to pause payments for items you have not received. Customers are also advised to keep a check on the company’s website for any official announcements, which may include guidance on what to do.