Space NK sells U.S. wholesale arm to beauty distribution giant

Space NK, the trailblazing British beauty retailer renowned for popularising niche brand curation through its pioneering gallery-style stores, has divested its American wholesale operations to The PCA Companies, a major player in global beauty distribution.

The deal, finalized on June 18th according to Cosmetics Business, transfers Space NK’s entire U.S. wholesale division including systems, store concepts, and employees to The PCA Companies. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“Three years ago, we pivoted to focus solely on high-service wholesale in the U.S, with a vision of providing brands the ideal structure and support to thrive in the American retail landscape,” said Andy Lightfoot, Space NK’s CEO. “Now backed by PCA’s scale and robust systems, we have total confidence this partnership will benefit all our retail and brand partners.”

Space NK’s U.S. wholesale footprint encompasses over 600 distribution points across major retailers. This includes a presence in 28 Bloomingdale’s locations, 93 Nordstrom full-line stores, 200 Nordstrom Rack outlets, nine Hudson’s Bay sites, and 265 in-store ‘Beauty SpaceNK’ installations within Walmart supercenters throughout North America.

For PCA, a vertically-integrated omnichannel player specialized in beauty brand licensing, investing, marketing and logistics, the acquisition bolsters its dominant position in U.S. beauty distribution. The company, valued at 850 million dollars in 2024, has built a tech-enabled global distribution network.

“Space NK has brilliantly curated an apothecary retail concept showcasing brands in various store environments that resonate with consumers,” stated Piyush Golia, PCA’s CEO. “We look forward to leveraging these capabilities to further elevate our brand partners’ presence across channels.”

Pioneering the tightly-curated beauty ‘editorialization’ model in the 1990s, Space NK was an early champion of now cult-favorite indie brands like Eve Lom and By Terry. Its immersive, open-sell store format allowing product trial redefined the beauty shopping experience, becoming widely emulated by other retailers in subsequent decades.