At the end of last year, former brand owner Natura &Co made a deal to sell The Body Shop to the Aurelius Group. The new private equity owners are wasting no time making changes and shedding part of the European and Asian business to an international family office.

WHO: Founded in 1976 by the late businesswoman and human rights activist Anita Roddick and her husband Gordon, The Body Shop pioneered ethical consumerism and argued that business could be a force for good. Today, The Body Shop has 10,000 employees across 3,000 stores in about 70 countries and sells skincare, body care, and haircare products.

WHY: This deal is a decisive step towards executing a turnaround strategy for the struggling business.

DETAILS:

• An estimated 14% of physical and digital channels of The Body Shop were sold. It was initially reported an international family office was the buyer but it was later revealed the buyer was Friedrich Trautwein, a German businessman with previous involvement in at least five Aurelius investments including several corporate failures. 
• No details were shared, but the deal includes significant portions of the European and Asian business. 
• The sale does not impact its global head franchise partners, which operate on a country or territory level, but some sub-franchise partners are to be included in the sale. It will not affect the brand's operations in the UK market. 
• In November 2022, former brand owner Natura &Co made a deal to sell The Body Shop to the Aurelius Group in a $254 million deal. 
• L'Oréal sold The Body Shop to Natura &Co in 2017 in a $1.1 billion deal.
• Anita Roddick sold The Body Shop to L'Oréal in 2006 for $1.14 billion.