This week, the shut down of The Body Shop in Switzerland was announced, reported SRF. The brand’s 33 remaining shops will close in May 2025.
The Body Shop Switzerland is a franchise owned and operated by the Coop supermarket group. Coop has said that it will not extend the franchise contract, which ends in May 2025. The Body Shop brand’s market positioning is no longer unique, said the group.
The Body Shop, which was founded in 1976 in Brighton, England has been struggling for years. It has been sold several times, and in many countries it has faced bankruptcy. Anita Roddick, the founder, sold the business to L’Oreal in 2006, which sold it to Natura & Co in 2017, which then sold it to the Aurelius Group in 2022. Each time it was sold the price dropped. Then in February 2024, both the UK and German businesses went into administration.
When the company started it had a distinctive brand that stood out from the competition. It’s products were made from natural ingredients and were not tested on animals. Over the years, other brands have adopted similar product formulations and marketing, leaving the brand with few distinctive features.
The Coop Group plans to retain the store space and the 108 employees currently working in The Body Shop chain and use them for other specialist retail offerings.
More on this:
SRF article (in German)
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