1976
The very first The Body Shop opens on 26th March 1976 in
Brighton, on the south coast of England. By 1978 the first overseas
franchise is a kiosk in Brussels and by 1982 new shops open at a
rate of two per month.
1985
In 1985, in its first year as a public company, The Body Shop
sponsored posters for Greenpeace. A year later, it created an
Environmental Projects Department of its own, while the first major
campaign for The Body Shop is Save the Whales with Greenpeace, in
1986.
1986
The first Community Trade product for The Body Shop was a
footsie roller, produced in 1986 by a supplier in southern India.
This trade in footsie rollers has evolved into the current trade
with Teddy Exports in India, one of our key Community Trade
suppliers.
1990
By 1990, just one year after launching in the USA, there were
2,500 applications for a franchise, with demand for The Body Shop
products ever-growing, driven by expansion which saw the company
trading in 39 countries within just fourteen years after the
opening of the very first shop!
In 1990 The Body Shop Foundation was established, a charity
which funds human rights and environmental protection groups.
1994
The Body Shop At Home, the direct-selling arm, was launched in
the UK in 1994, Canada in 1995, Australia in 1997, USA and Ireland
in 2001. It has now rolled out in 48 states in the USA and is set
to grow even bigger.
1997
In 1997, The Body Shop was the first international cosmetics
company to sign up to the Humane Cosmetics Standard supported by
leading international animal protection groups.
1999
In 1999, The Body Shop created four new business units in the
UK, Europe, the Americas and Asia, shifting its operational and
management structure out to the regions.
2003
Stop Violence in the Home campaign. During 2003 The Body Shop
launched a global campaign to help stop violence in the home. This
builds on almost a decade of campaigning on the issue in a number
of our markets, including Canada, the USA, and West Malaysia.
Anita Roddick is appointed as a Dame of the British Empire.
The opening of stores in the new markets of Estonia and
Turkey.
2004
The Body Shop is the first global retailer to join the Board of
the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil, working with NGOs and
plantations to protect tropical rainforests and improve the human
rights of workers and indigenous people.
2005
The Body Shop comes to Jordan and Russia with a total of 2,045
stores around the globe.
2006
The Body Shop turns 30 (March 27th).
The Body Shop wins PETA's Proggy (progress) awards for our
commitment to avoid animal testing.