Pure Beauty

The Body Shop’s Swiss franchise owner halts contract renewal

By Alessandro Carrara | Published: 20-Jan-2025

Some 108 employees of The Body Shop Switzerland will be offered further employment within the Coop retail company

Swiss retail and wholesale company Coop has decided not to renew its franchise contract with The Body Shop Switzerland.

An “in-depth analysis” by the Basel-headquartered business found that the “unique positioning” of the beauty brand’s presence in Switzerland “no longer exists”.

A revitalisation project undertaken by Coop to bolster the brand's position had also not reached its targeted effect.

This was despite “intensive efforts and considerable commitment on the part of the employees of The Body Shop Switzerland”.

“The previous unique positioning of the brand The Body Shop by the franchisor no longer exists,” Coop said in a statement.

“A different use with other specialist formats for the sales areas that will become available is being assessed by the Coop Group.”

All 108 employees of The Body Shop Switzerland will be offered further employment within the Coop Group.

Coop said it is looking into a different use with other specialist formats for the 33 stores which will become available.

The franchise contract will run until the end of May 2025.

The Body Shop recently announced it was moving its UK headquarters as part of its new ‘cultural reset’ strategy.

It is relocating to Brighton, which is where the company opened its first shop in 1976  as a sign that the brand is going back to its roots.

The Body Shop’s new owner Auréa is now preparing to rebuild The Body Shop’s UK business and international presence in 2025 after falling into administration last year.

This came just months after being acquired by private equity firm Aurelius for £207m.

The store closures and job cuts came after a period of financial challenges for The Body Shop, including multiple consecutive quarters of losses with former owner Natura & Co.

In the UK, 197 stores closed as part of its restructuring process.
 

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