The Body Shop
Introduction
The Body Shop is a London-based British cosmetics corporation that deals with the production and manufacturing of cosmetics-related products including but not limited to skincare, perfume, body spray, fragrances, makeup, hair, et cetera. The cosmetic company was founded by Anita Roddick in the year 1976. Its headquarters was previously located in Brighton, United Kingdom and since its inception in 1976, The Body Shop has been an affiliated brand under two parent companies with the name, L’Oreal (from 2006 to 017), and Natura & Co. (from 2017 to present). The Body Shop was sold by L’Oreal to Natura Co. in the year 2017 for a total sum of 880 million pounds and the equivalent of $1.54 billion USD.
Key Statistics & Facts
Founding Year: The Body Shop was founded in the year 1976, approximately 46 years ago.
Industrial Ranking: The Body Shop since its inception has been named to the list of top ranking agencies. Typically, the corporation is ranked 22nd on Fortune Global 500, indicating the company as one of the largest corporations with higher revenue across the world.
Company Type: A Public Corporation Company (PLC)
Market Reach: The Body Shop has more than 10 head offices operating globally, and has its offices mounted strategically in several countries across the world. It typically operates in more than 70 countries across the globe with stores as high as 3, 000, and 12, 000 franchises.
Industry Type: Cosmetics, Skincare, Hair, Gifts, Fragrances
Trading Type: The Body Shop Inc. is traded on the London Stock Exchange Market as well as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) market.
Workforce Strength: The Body Shop has over 10, 000 number of employees in its workforce globally as of the 2017 report.
Historical Snapshot
The Body Shop’s history began in Brighton, England in the year 1976 when Dame Anita Roddick founded it. Anita believed a startup could course positive changes in society and the world at large. Following her strong vision and philosophy, The Body Shop was built with this belief in mind and has continued to play a significant impact in the world of business over 40 years of its existence.
The Body Shop began its trading operation with a total number of 25 products. Anit began outsourcing urine sample bottles which she can use to package her products for sale.
In the year 1977, Anita sold 50% of the enterprise to a local garage owner known with the name, Gordon, and used the proceeds to buy another new outlet. As soon as Gordon joined The Body Shop through a partnership deal he suggested that the company should look into expansion through franchising. Gordon’s suggestion was implemented and as a result, the company now has several Franchises under its management as well as sub-franchises.
As of 1984, The Body Shop recorded a total number of 138 outlets mounted all around the world with a total number of 87 of them located outside the shores of the United Kingdom.
In the year 1984, The Body Shop went public with its Initial Public Offerings (IPO) on London’s Unlisted Securities Market at 95 pounds per share. Anita remains the CEO in a bid to keep track of and manage the company’s direction. A few periods later after it became public, The Body Shop completed its documentation to be eligible for trading in the London Stock Exchange Market. And upon entering the market, the company’s stock prices increased exponentially.
In the year 1987, Anita offered Jane Saunders and Peggy Short (the initial owner of the Body Shop name located in California, the United States) the total sum of $3.5 million USD in a bid to have an exclusive right to the business name. They accepted the offer and changed their company’s name to Body Time which later shut down in the year 2018. The company began trading in the United States rightly after obtaining US ownership of the company.
In the year 2006, March, The Body Shop sold to L’Oreal which took over as the parent company in a deal amounting to a total sum of, 130 million pounds, an equivalent of $156 million USD.
In the year 2017, L’Oreal offered The Body Shop to be sold off to a Brazilian-based company dealing with cosmetic products and operates under the name, Natura Co. The deal was sealed with a total sum of 1 billion euros, an equivalent of $1.036 million USD. And in the year 2019, The Body Shop secured its B Corp certification.
Products Listings
The Body Shop offers an array of products that in several market niches. However, in its entirety, the majority of the company’s products generally cover the well-being of the body in areas such as the face, hair, and home use products. The list includes:
Body butter
Body Products
Full skincare
Men skincare
Hair care
High-end skincare
Bath products such as bathing soap, lotion, gel, and shower nets
Face masks
Gifts (such as Christmas gifts)
Brand Values
Refill Scheme
Black Lives Matter
Community Fair Trade
Excellent Packaging
Community Fair Trade Recycled Plastic
Vegan & Vegetarian Beauty
Recycling Scheme
Sustainability Commitment
Fighting to Empower Women & Girls
Everyday Influencers
Franchises and Sub Franchises
The Body Shop partners with retailers who experts in the industry and shares part of the company’s vision and dreams to form a global Franchise community. This section enlists the list of countries where The Body Shop Head Franchises and Sub Franchises can be found.
Head Franchises
The following countries are available for The Body Shop Head Franchise partnership deals
Nigeria
Angola
Belarus
Bhutan
Fiji
Caribbean
Ghana
Iraq
Lebanon
Mozambique
Laos
Ivory Coast
Tanzania
Papua Guinea
Samoa
Sub Franchise
The following are countries available for sub-franchise partnership deal
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Denmark
France
Germany
Netherlands
Portugal
Sweden
Financial Overview
Revenues: $1 billion USD (Fortune 2022)
Pros & Cons
This section will enlist the pros and cons of The Body Shop according to employees’ reviews on Glassdoor as well as a deep study of the company.
Pros
Seasoned and Highly Experienced Staff: The Body Shop reportedly has a team of professionals across all its business segments who are part of its workforce, and are committed to giving their most industrial skill set.
A Customer-centric Firm: One of the major pros of The Body Shop to its customer is that it is a 100% customer-focused company, as such, all its operations are geared towards making the customers happy.
An Array of Product Lines: The Body Shop has a variety of products to offer its customer’s majority of which are high-end and quality built products. Since the company’s inception, it is committed to providing and availing its customers with a pool of brands and products to choose from based on their respective needs.
Dedicated and Committed to Sustainable Development: The Body Shop is committed to giving its best in terms of delivering its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as it fosters and supports both social and environmental-oriented programs. This is evident in the company’s brand value.
Offers Premium Benefits and Perks for Customers & Employees: The Body Shop offers and avails its customers and employees of several benefits and perks across all its business segments such as discounted product prices for customers as well as bonuses and allowances for staff.
Cons
Relatively low payment
Relatively slow-paced career growth
No extensive staff training
No Work/Life Balance
No Remote Work Option
Poor management
Relatively high costs of products and services
Low Pay
Conclusion
In a nutshell, the company is no doubt an amusing and intriguing case to study as a result of its long-shot years in the industry, its cutting-edge and innovative milestones as well as its commitment to expansion and social course. As seen in the above-detailed history that the company leverages its industrial insights and expertise to attain such a great feat and it’s still dedicated to doing the same in years to come. Finally, I hope your expectation highlighted in the introductory portion of this paper have been addressed. However, on the off chance that you are yet to completely absorb all that is drafted in this piece at once, I recommend that you review it over and over again until you are in sync with the entire information.
