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1942 - 2007
The Body Shop
Anita Roddick is globally one of the best known of our PG-40ers, although it’s probably not so well known that she made it late. While she has been widely credited with revolutionizing the cosmetics industry, opposing animal testing and encouraging sustainability, her legacy has recently been subject to intense scrutiny and questioning. What is unquestionable though is that despite first stumbling out of the starting blocks at the age of 34 she went on to build a hugely successful business, proving yet again that the early bird isn’t the only one that gets the worm.
From her birthday in 1942 Anita knocked around a bit before zeroing in on her success vehicle. Born in England to immigrant parents, she had early memories of what she called “legitimate child labour” when she worked in the family café every spare hour. She trained as a teacher and then wandered the world for a while living in; and being kicked out of, a kibbutz in Israel and visiting Tahiti, the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, Australia and South Africa. Returning to England she met and married Gordon Roddick. The couple then ran a restaurant and a hotel before Gordon decided to take a sabbatical and travel from Buenos Aires to New York by horse. On his return to England he was to find that his wife had reinvented herself, opening the first Body Shop in Brighton, a seaside town on England’s south coast.
Far from being the seed of a multinational operation Roddick’s first “Body Shop” sounds decidedly kooky. Situated between two funeral parlors; The Body Shop indeed!? It stocked hand made products, with handwritten labels and on opening for business offered customers only five products. Anita had also prepared five of each of them just to make the shelves look stocked. Customers were charged 12 pence (US$ 0.19) for a bottle or they could bring their own bottle in and save money.
The Body Shop was the right idea at the right time. Growing concerns among many consumers about ethical business and sustainability plus the homespun appearance of The Body Shop, and its products, resonated with those consumers; tapping into a huge latent market. Business was good and another shop was opened and then, responding to requests, Anita started selling franchises....
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