Explore IGD’s must-see health and beauty stores in 2026

Health and beauty retailers continue to innovate their stores through services and products to elevate the shopping experience.

Here, we highlight the best stores we’ve seen this year by region, showcasing how retailers are blending creativity, functionality and engagement to create destinations for health & beauty, while aligning to our global health and beauty trends 2026.

IGD’s must-see health & beauty stores in 2026 report covers 20 stores around the world that excel in store experience, personalisation, social media, serving more needs, and sustainable solutions. This article will unveil our top picks for each region, including APAC, Europe, North America, and Middle East.

APAC: Olive Young, Seoul, South Korea

The Olive Young N Seongsu store is a five-story flagship store that was opened in November 2024. It is particularly strong in store experience, as it provides ample shopper inspiration through its services and category execution. Its experiential store design and frequent concept changes fuel shoppers’ interest in returning to the store. For instance, it creates excitement through changing the themes periodically at the ground floor pop-up zone, perfume category and K-pop zone.

It also leverages exclusivity with its premium lounge, and personalisation services, which encourage shoppers to visit the store in person. The store has multiple consultation zones for dedicated make-up classes, colour testing, and product recommendation services, which help shoppers to find the products and style that suits them most.

The extensive services and products offered, and innovations have ticked all the boxes relating to our global health and beauty trends, making this store a must-visit if you are looking for H&B inspiration from APAC.

Europe: Holland & Barrett, Cardiff, United Kingdom

Meanwhile in Europe, Holland & Barret in Cardiff is our top pick in the region. This store is the retailer’s first experiential store format that serves as a pivotal step to providing a differentiated wellness offering. The test and learn format shapes the retailer’s future format strategy.

It offers services, such as biological age testing and in-store diagnostics provided by Randox. The format elevates the customer experience with brilliant store design, interactive elements and personalisation. For instance, it has a Lift & Learn digital display, which is an interactive product wall focusing on education and discovery. Moreover, the store has a wellness studio, offering 36 hours a week of yoga and reformer Pilates.

The additional services offered have transformed the store into a holistic health & beauty hub to serve wider customers’ needs.

Learn more about the store from our exclusive interview with Andrew Jones, Head of Format at Holland & Barrett.

North America: Shoppers Drug Mart, Surrey, Canada

In Canada, pharmacists’ regulatory scope of practice is expanding, creating new opportunities for value-added services. Shoppers Drug Mart’s new concept demonstrates the evolution of the pharmacy into a service-based care destination. It captures value beyond traditional pharmacy margins by offering clinical services.

This is a clinic format embedded in a retail footprint, which creates opportunities to trigger additional product sales. Its extended hours increases accessibility for shoppers. The purpose-built environment offers private waiting and child-friendly exam rooms. It offers a variety of services, such as assessment and treatment of common ailments, vaccinations, chronic-disease monitoring and medication adjustment.

This is a great store to showcase how a retailer can enrich its offer with more services to serve wider needs in addition to selling medications, making this a great inspiration for markets with pressure in the public health system.

Middle East: Watsons, Dubai, UAE

In the Middle East, Watsons in Dubai has won our hearts with its elevated product offer, and science-based suggestions.

The Derma lab sees Watsons move beyond generic beauty advice, ensuring shoppers get science-backed, individualised solutions rather than trial-and-error purchases. It uses AI-powered technology to offer customised skincare recommendations. Customers receive skin analysis using advanced diagnostic tools, followed by tailored product suggestions from trained staff and dermatologists. The shift from passive selling to guided recommendations is becoming an expectation, not just a premium service.

Watsons is keen to embed sustainability in-store to encourage shoppers to transition to a greener lifestyle. The store’s #CleanBeauty category offers a wide selection of sustainable products, free from harmful chemicals, e.g. oxybenzone and octinoxate, and the products are verified cruelty-free.

To add a bit of fun in-store, it has installed a collagen ice cream machine, which adds a novel element that would leave a lasting impression on many customers.

If you would like to learn the full list of our recommendations, stay tuned for the complete IGD’s must see health and beauty stores in 2026 report on our health & beauty hub on 1^st December, 2025.