The Body Shop cosmetics chainwhich has filed for bankruptcy in the UK, will close almost half of its stores in the country and will eliminate approximately 270 jobs at its corporate headquarters, as its administrators announced today.

“Seven stores will close today and further closures will follow,” said consultancy firm FRP, which is handling the restructuring of the company in Britain. “Once (the restructuring plan) is complete, more than half of The Body Shop’s 198 UK stores will remain in operation” while head office staff will be cut by around 40%, FRP said.

The company employs approximately 7,000 people worldwide, of which 2,200 in the UK, both in its offices and stores. Although there was no talk of layoffs from the stores, their closure translates into the loss of many jobs.

The company was sold at the end of 2023 by the Brazilian Natura Cosmeticos to the German investment fund Aurelius for around 250 million euros. The bankruptcy filing and restructuring is aimed at “safeguarding the future” of the company, FRP argued, and only affects the UK and not the rest of the network of stores in other countries. However, it is recalled that, after its acquisition, the group already sold “loss-making companies in much of continental Europe and some parts of Asia”.

According to FRP’s statement, “following years of inefficiency and following a full assessment of The Body Shop’s UK operations”, administrators have concluded that the current situation is “not sustainable”.

The Body Shop brand was founded in 1976 in Brighton by British Anita Roddick, an entrepreneurial pioneer of cosmetics that respect the environment and are not tested on animals. L’Oréal bought the company in 2006 for €940 million. At the time Roddick was criticized for her choices and some accused her of “dealing with the enemy”. However, her health was failing and Anita Roddick died the following year.