Arnaud Jeanteur, General Manager of The Body Shop International, has opened up about plans to revamp the business after confessing the family favourite had ‘lost its way’.
Speaking to Life in Ubud, Bali, Jeanteur confessed that the reaction to the brand in recent years has been slightly tepid, suggesting consumers see it as an ‘old friend they have lost touched with.’ With its target customer being both men and women aged between 16 and 60, the company is hoping to reignite the brand across all aspects in a bid to take back some market share of the cosmetics industry.
With 3,048 stores across 63 markets, the company is one of the world’s largest masstige cosmetics networks, however, it took a hit when the brand’s retail sales hit a slump recently, falling from 1.47 billion Euro in 2012 to 1.4 billion Euro in 2013.
Despite this fall, sales were back up again in 2014, reaching 1.48 billion, and with new plans in place to grow further, times could be changing for the firm favourite.
In a bid to bring back old consumers and win new ones, the brand is launching two new premium lines that will cost 10 to 15 per cent more than its regular range.
Jeanteur said, “The Body Shop has always been an accessible brand and it will remain so. But some customers want more sophisticated products and they are happy to pay a little more for them.”
The new premium range comprises of four products that are rich in skin nourishing antioxidants, oleic acids, Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. Products within the range include Essence Lotion ($39.90), Facial Oil ($65.90), Gel Cream ($55.90) and Revitalising Cream ($55.90), made with the cold-pressed seed oils of black cumin, camellia and rosehip.
Already in the at-home-spa market with its Spa Wisdom, the brand is capitalising on this successful avenue with the launch of a new nine piece Spa of the World selection. This includes a new African Ximenia Scrub ($55.90), Himalayan Charcoal Body Clay ($36.90) and Polynesian Monoi Radiance Oil ($36.90). The range is completed with some at home spa tools including a body mask brush and Thai wooden massager.
In a bid to get consumers to reconnect with the brand, and also to maintain the company’s roots in environmental awareness, for every Oils Of Life skin care product sold, a seed will be planted in the Cerro Blanco, the last dry forest in Ecuador. The brand aims to plant a million seeds over two years.
