The Body Shop

The Body Shop is one of the companies that have been successful in the franchising business. It has over 2,600 branch locations in 65 countries all over the world (with franchise network of 1,600 stores). It has been a leader in marketing natural and ethical inspired beauty retail, and still growing across the whole wide world via the strong network of franchising. The Body Shop has its headquarters in Littlehampton, West Sussex, England and directly employs 2,600 staff at all company owned stores in the UK alone. It was founded by Anita Roddick in 1976, now it is a part of the L’Oréal corporate group. Being part of the world’s one of the most reputable brand makes The Body Shop a highly profitable business.

In 1970, Anita Roddick (then Anita Perilli) visited "The Body Shop" housed in a car repairs and garage in Berkeley, California selling naturally-scented soaps and lotions. The shop run by Peggy Short and Jane Saunders used natural ingredients, and helped to employ and train immigrant women. Six years later, in 1976, Roddick opened a similar shop in the UK, using the same business name, colour scheme, and cosmetic lines. In 1987, Roddick offered Short and Saunders USD 3.5 million to change their shop's name to Body Time. By 1992 the rename was completed. From its first launch in the UK in 1976, The Body Shop experienced rapid growth, expanding at a rate of 50 percent annually