An arc of success: Beauty and business in South Africa

Once upon a time, the department store was the beating heart of retail. The glamour of those spaces with floors dedicated to specific goods and dolled-up saleswomen at glittering counters still casts a long, nostalgic shadow. Even if you never shopped in those heyday years, you know exactly what they evoke.

Today, with South African stalwarts like Edgars and Stuttafords downsized or gone, ARC’s newly relaunched flagship in Sandton City feels like something of a revival. Though it’s focused solely on beauty, ARC captures the spirit of those old-school emporiums – but with a distinctly modern twist. With 10 stores, a strong online presence and more than 103 brands, ARC has quietly become South Africa’s own beauty powerhouse.

And this moment couldn’t be better timed, because beauty is as big as a lacquered Texan bouffant.

Globally, the industry now outperforms fashion and luxury. Researchers forecast a market value of $937bn by 2030, with online beauty spend doubling since 2019 and prestige fragrance up 13% last year. Gen Z spends more on skincare than millennials did at the same age, and consumers everywhere are leaning into “small luxury” purchases without apology.

South Africa, the continent’s biggest cosmetics and personal-care market, is keeping pace. Statista projects it to reach $4.51bn this year, growing at 3.24% annually. That’s roughly R1,255 per person a year, with online shopping at about 12.5% and strong demand for eco-conscious products.

With all the cash splashing around, it’s no wonder celebrities have jumped in. Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty has earned about $600m, while Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty sits near $582m (and, yes, you’ll find it at ARC).

ARC’s rethink is also perfectly aligned with global retail shifts. Beauty-led stores are booming. Specialised international mega-retailer Sephora is in its biggest expansion phase in a decade, planning more than 300 new stores each year; Harrods H Beauty concepts are drawing younger shoppers; and leading retailers from Paris to Tokyo are building interactive fragrance libraries, skincare labs and immersive “play floors”. The modern department store isn’t about counters behind glass – it’s about discovery, experience and luxurious wandering. ARC has taken this to heart.

‘A playground for beauty lovers’

The Sandton flagship reflects that evolution. Sip coffee or matcha at the ARC Café, explore scent in the Fragrance Pause Area, or get an expert touch-up in the Beauty Lab. As ARC CEO Jamie Lane puts it, the new store is “a giant playground for beauty lovers” – playful, inviting and designed for lingering.

ARC was founded in 2020 by Lane and Amanda Graham, who saw a gap in South Africa for a fresher, more contemporary approach to beauty. Lane, originally from England, brings deep experience from global retail; Graham’s background spans Clicks, Woolworths and Marks & Spencer. “We both worked in beauty and retail for a long time,” Lane says. “We saw what was happening around the world and felt South Africa was ready for its own modern beauty take.”

Today, ARC is proudly South African-owned, with every bit of profit reinvested locally. “Every penny the company has made has gone back into building the brand and our team. We’ve got 150 staff now,” says Lane. While the marketing skews young, the brand’s most loyal spenders sit between 35 and 45, a sign that ARC resonates across generations.

This all sounds glossy and glam, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing. The business, with its heavy physical presence, weathered Covid, and navigated load-shedding and rocky economic conditions. Lane says this resilience is baked in. “There’s a lot of courage in the business and in South Africa. We’ve lived through quite a lot together,” he notes.

Beauty encompasses both piling on products and going au naturel. Either way, if a little indulgence brings you joy, why not lean into it? We can testify that enjoying a matcha latte while spritzing on perfume and stocking up on our Laneige skincare haul is a little ritual that, courtesy of the brand, we’re embracing.

Visit www.arcstore.co.za.

_{All images: supplied.}