Superdrug Gets You Through the Night With the launch of UK's first 24 hour beauty & health store
Beauty Inside, Outside and now 24/7

United Kingdom (27 October 2005)

Superdrug, the UK's second largest beauty & health retailer and a subsidiary of the AS Watson Group, announces today (27 October 2005) that it is to trial 24 hour trading in the run up to Christmas. The retailer's Oxford Street store will trade 24 hours from Monday 19 December through to Friday 23 December 2005.

From facials at four am to treatments for tickly coughs at two am or simply stress-free seasonal shopping, London customers will now be able to buy their Christmas beauty and health must-haves at times that suit their busy lives. There's no doubt that the way people shop and live their lives has changed dramatically over the last few years; more and more people work outside of a traditional nine to five timetable and successful retailers need to wake up to customers' changing lifestyles.

For each night the store trades 24 hours customers can expect to enjoy extra Xmas nocturnal events and advice from post-party pampering including treat your feet to 'morning after' advice with the best hangover cures and early morning make-overs for those who don't make it home and need to arrive fresh for work in the morning.

Euan Sutherland, Superdrug's managing director says; "Superdrug's customers know that they can rely on us to give them the latest innovations in beauty & health in the UK and this is just another step in that direction. We listen to our customers who tell us they have hectic lives and this Christmas everyone at Superdrug will be busy delivering what our shoppers want, around the clock."

Dependent on the success of this trial, Superdrug may look to extend 24 hour trading to other stores across the country at key trading times.

The AS Watson Group operates over 6,800 retail stores running from health and beauty, luxury perfumeries and cosmetics to food, electronics, fine wine and airport retail arms.

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For further information please contact Zaria Pinchbeck on 07802 837975 or Jenny Hill on 07971 117265 or 0207 837 4317.

Notes to editors:

Superdrug is the United Kingdom's second-largest Health & Beauty retail chain, attracting more than seven million customers to its stores during the Christmas season alone. The successful Superdrug formula is attributed to its commitment in maintaining an extensive range of its own well-recognised and high quality brands. Superdrug currently operates 700 stores in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Superdrug is one of the health & beauty retail brands from the A.S. Watson Group (ASW) family. With a history dating back to 1828, ASW has evolved into an international retail and manufacturing business with operations in 34 markets worldwide.