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The body shop

In the early 1970s, Anita Roddick–then Anita Perilli–visited a shop called The
Body Shop in Berkeley, California run by Peggy Short and Jane Saunders.
This inspired her to open her own shop back in the UK, as she documented in
her books. In 1987, Anita purchased the naming rights from the original Body
Shop.
The opening of Roddick's first modest shop received early attention when the
Brighton newspaper, The Evening Argus, carried an article about an
undertaker with a nearby store who complained about the use of the name
"The Body Shop."[5]
From its first launch in 1976 The Body Shop experienced rapid growth,
expanding at a rate of 50 percent annually. Its stock was floated on
London's Unlisted Securities Market in April 1984, opening at 95p. After it
obtained a full listing on the London Stock Exchange, the stock was given the
nickname "The shares that defy gravity," as its price increased by more than
500%.
In March 2006, The Body Shop agreed to a £652.3 million takeover
by L'Oréal. It was reported that Anita and Gordon Roddick, who set up The
Body Shop 30 years previously, made £130 million from the sale.
During her lifetime, The Body Shop founder Anita Roddick had built a
reputation for innovation, integrity and social responsibility.
Following her death in 2007, Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid tribute to
Dame Anita, calling her "one of the country's true pioneers" and an
"inspiration" to businesswomen. He said: "She campaigned for green issues
for many years before it became fashionable to do so and inspired millions to
the cause by bringing sustainable products to a mass market. "She will be
remembered not only as a great campaigner but also as a great
entrepreneur."[7][8]
The Body Shop turned increasingly toward social and environmental
campaigns to promote its business. In 1997, Roddick launched a global
campaign to raise self-esteem in women and against the media stereotyping
of women. It focused on unreasonably skinny models in the context of rising
numbers in bulimia and anorexia. The star of the campaign became world
famous. The company created a doll in the likeness of Barbie but with a
lifelike voluptuous figure and luxuriant red hair, that came with the tag line,
"There are 3 billion women who don't look like supermodels and only 8 who
do".[9] Her name was Ruby, a real-life size 16 plastic doll that Mattel thought
looked too much like Barbie. The strategic platform and global campaign
production were developed with Host Universal, who went on to create an old-
age Ruby for Body Shop Australia. Mattel later sued the company for
copyright infringement.[10] The company stopped the campaign.
There was a media controversy surrounding claims that L'Oréal continues to
test on animals, which contradicts The Body Shop's core value of Against
Animal Testing. L'Oréal states the company has not tested on animals since
1989. There was talk of boycotts around the globe from customers. Roddick
addressed it directly in an interview with The Guardian,[11] which reported that
"she sees herself as a kind of "trojan horse" who by selling her business to a
huge firm will be able to influence the decisions it makes. Suppliers who had
formerly worked with the Body Shop will in future have contracts with L'Oréal,
and working with the company 25 days a year Roddick will be able to have an
input into decisions."The models are Michelle Yeoh, Gay-Yee
Westerhoff, Elspeth Hanson and Maud Adams

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