The Body Shop What went wrong for the trailblazing chain？

The Body Shop: What wentwrong for the trailblazing chain?

Once upon a time, there was a magical emporium called The Body Shop.

Inside you would find piles of colourful soaps, jars of shimmering bathpearls, rows upon rows of intriguing lotions and, if it was a Saturday, gagglesof teenagers spraying themselves silly with White Musk eau de toilette testers.

"When we were young, The Body Shop was the brand," rememberedDiane Wehrle, retail expert. "But for younger people, it is now the brandof their mum."

The Body Shop of today is facing a crisis. Its new owner - the third inseven years - has taken the drastic decision to place the UK side of thebusiness into administration.

So what has gone wrong? It got bought out by L'Oreal. More than 10 yearslater, L'Oreal decided to sell The Body Shop to Natura of Brazil. Fast-forwardto November 2023, and Natura offloaded it to Aurelia for a fraction of what itpaid for it. As The Body Shop was being shunted between different owners,rivals with their own natural brands were emerging.

Over the past 20 years a huge number of entrants have come into thatsustainability, natural space that The Body Shop once solely occupied.

It is highly unlikely that The Body Shop will completely disappear. Itmay keep trading from some shops in the UK and use this opportunity to investin the online side of the business.