The Body Shop is the most recent victim of the demise of the British high street. The recognizable brand (and unique scent) of its retail locations is in jeopardy as the company’s UK division enters administration.
The Body Shop began as a tiny business in Brighton, a seaside town in the United Kingdom, and has been a success story for almost 50 years. From then, the company’s creator, Dame Anita Roddick, promoted “ethical” trading, opposed animal testing, and criticized the overuse of packaging in cosmetic items.
However, maintaining a reputation for ethics over fifty years is not simple. If a selling point that formerly set The Body Shop apart does not change to reflect shifting consumer expectations and market realities, it may lose its brilliance.
The importance of evolving ethical branding
A lot of contemporary businesses are increasingly adopting the strategy of claiming to be ethical. While you and your cat are enjoying the warmth of an ethical energy source, you can have ethical coffee and supply ethical pet food.
Success for a skincare firm, or any retail brand for that matter, cannot be achieved by complacency or staying the same. The disastrous effects of failing to innovate or modify its ethical branding are exemplified by The Body Shop’s downfall.
According to studies, a brand must demonstrate its concern for people if it hopes to be regarded as truly ethical. This can entail improving the lives of others who have never used the company’s products in addition to treating staff and clients well.
In recent years, British retailers have demonstrated a greater level of skill in this area. How frequently do you hear about skincare or cosmetic companies establishing food donation locations, selecting “community champions” (like Morrisons), or collaborating with nonprofit organizations (like Tesco and the British Red Cross)?
These are moral programs that not only provide customers another reason to spend money with the participating stores but also actually assist those in need.
Lessons from competitors and the need for innovation
According to the most recent research, customers typically evaluate companies that present themselves as ethically committed in terms of fairness, honesty, and devotion to this kind of caring attitude. This confirms earlier findings that a growing consumer emphasis on morality is being observed.
In contrast to The Body Shop, a few skincare companies have cemented their ethical reputation by emphasizing caring for people in their branding in recent years. These include Boots brand No7 with its “Future Renew” product collection, which targets women aged 30 to 75 and seeks to heal damaged skin and retain a natural appearance without resorting to cosmetic operations, and Dove with its “Real Beauty” advertising. To assist women with cancer in “looking and feeling like themselves,” No7 also collaborates with Macmillan Cancer Support.
In a similar vein, Lush’s increasingly salient ethical stance evolves around the skill, happiness, and pride of its workers. “We believe in happy people making happy soap, putting our faces on the products, and making our moms proud,” the firm declares.
However, The Body Shop’s downfall is due to more than just its moral position. Critics have stated that the corporation neglected competitors like Lush and Origins, failed to innovate its product line, and was not competitive enough on pricing.
Not quite coming together
The difficult economic circumstances of the past few years, which have been terrible for a variety of shops, were also beyond the company’s control. When rising interest rates and inflation reduce customers’ purchasing power, they often change their shopping preferences to prioritize affordability.
This could account for the abundance of less expensive cosmetics and personal hygiene items available in stores.
All things considered, several causes have contributed to The Body Shop’s demise in the UK. While this well-known British retailer attracted customers to its high street with its distinctive items that let them pamper themselves and the environment, it’s possible that it neglected to take care of itself along the way.
(Tashia Bernardus)