

Success came quickly: Roddick ’s cosmetics store thrived, and she opened another before the company ’s first year was over. Also during this time, Roddick developed an aversion to advertising not wanting to spend the time or money on advertising, she instead relied on press coverage to spread the word about the fledgling company.

For example, one of the first products, a henna hair treatment, sported a label explaining that the product smelled like manure but was great for the hair. Handwritten labels filled with product information established the Body Shop ’s candid approach to customer relations. Other hallmarks of the company were born during this frugal period. When Roddick ’s original supply of bottles ran out, and she did not have enough money to buy more, the Body Shop ’s famous refill policy was born. Roddick painted the walls dark green to hide cracks, rather than to suggest respect for the environment, and the award-winning clear plastic bottles were actually urine sample containers purchased from a local hospital. Her store design, product packaging, and marketing approach all originated from her need to economize. Her goal was to support herself and her two daughters while her husband spent two years riding horseback from Buenos Aires to New York. Roddick entered the industry in 1976 when she used £4,000 to open a small stand-alone shop of natural-ingredient cosmetics and personal care products. ” After several years of faltering profits and sales, Anita and her husband, Gordon Roddick, stepped down as co-chairs in 2002. It ’s run by men who create needs that don ’t exist. In 1991, Business Week quoted this cosmetic industry leader as saying: “We loathe the cosmetic industry with a passion. Anita Roddick, founder of the company, built The Body Shop by flouting industry conventions. The company manufactures over 600 products and claims that a Body Shop product is sold every. This focus, however, proved to be costly as The Body Shop lost market share in the late 1990s to product-savvy competitors that offered similar cosmetics at lower prices. In fact, The Body Shop has historically received more attention for its ethical stances, such as its refusal to use ingredients that are tested on animals, its monetary donations to the communities in which it operates, and its business partnerships with developing countries, than for its products. The company is best known for pioneering the natural-ingredient cosmetics market and establishing social responsibility as an integral part of company operations. The Body Shop International plc is one of England ’s best known retailers of cosmetics and personal care products, with over 1,900 stores in 50 countries. NAIC: 446120 Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Stores
