The Body Shop Canada continues to expand new Workshop concept stores across the country, celebrating its activist roots.
The concept was launched in 2020 prior to the pandemic at CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver. Recently, it also opened in Oshawa Centre and Market Mall in Calgary with stores to open as well in November at West Edmonton Mall and at the Metropolis at Metrotown in Burnaby, BC in 2023.
“To a lot of people, the concept of ‘changing the world’ can sound a bit abstract. With our workshop stores, we want to bring people together to realize that they can be change makers and are capable of making small changes that could benefit our communities and the planet,” said Hilary Lloyd, VP of Brand and Activism for The Body Shop North America.
“From our refill stations to our new Wellness body care range, customers will get to shop the products that make them feel good, while also doing good. These stores are the ultimate changemaking beauty experience. Our stores and products have always been, and always will be, a way to connect people to environmental and social justice issues.
“There’s a healthy runway of Workshops to come which we’re just in the process of finalizing the details on. We’re really excited about what’s coming.”
Founded in 1976 in Brighton, England, by Dame Anita Roddick, The Body Shop is a global beauty brand and a certified B Corp and today has 123 stores in Canada. The Body Shop operates about 3,000 retail locations in more than 70 countries.
Lloyd said the new concept Workshop is designed with many purposes in mind.
“The first is we want them to be really inviting and customer engaging spaces,” she said. “When you’re in a Workshop, you’re sort of all hands on deck, sleeves rolled up, more active in the experience. That’s a really big part of the experience we’re trying to create with the new concept.
“The other piece that’s unique I think to The Body Shop and our very long history and heritage is there is a really clear intention to take the store and its concept back to our activist roots. So the stores themselves are designed to reflect and support the local communities where we operate.
“Ideally what we do in these store locations is we would bring to life issues and stories that are important to the communities where we operate. So really, at the end of the day, we’re developing and rolling out a store concept that is designed around experiences and really those experiences should be about our products and getting people to fall in love with the incredible products we sell and then also facilitating the experience of community activism in the markets where we operate.”
Lloyd said the new concept Workshop is basically the same footprint as existing stores. The new concept has a much wider and inviting entrance with more of the store experience flowing out into the centre. There will be more interactive experiences for customers with sinks where they can test and try products and ask for consultation for skin care.
“Certainly we have a need to reinvigorate the brand and re-remind our Canadian customers of who The Body Shop is and why we exist in the world and what benefits we can create for them,” she said. “So we need a store environment that facilitates us trying to support the brand in building that understanding.
“I think the other thing is that we also needed a fit and an experience that reflects who we are and our values. We’re a certified B Corp. We’re a purpose-led business. We have extraordinary natural products that we sell. And so we needed a store environment that reflects back those values. Because of that specifically, it was time for an upgrade and time for the Workshop concept.”
All the new Workshop locations currently operating and to come in November are in renovated existing stores. In the future, the concept will be rolled out in other existing stores and new builds.
“We’re always on the lookout for opportunities for new builds within the real estate environment that we have,” explained Lloyd. “It will be very likely a mix of both. Right now, we’re focused on the malls and the locations we operate in making improvements in those locations at the same time that we’re sort of looking out to see where The Body Shop could add value in a community context whether it’s within a mall or in another location. We’re working on both.”
Lloyd said the plan for the rollout of the new concept is “very, very ambitious” and in process.
“Canada, where The Body Shop is concerned, we’ve got a really stable customer base. We’ve been in the market for over 40 years. Customers know us and understand us and understand the business. I think our opportunity is to re-remind them of who we are through this Workshop concept and this new store process and we’re really, really excited about it,” she said.
Recyclable materials, 100 per cent recycled countertops created from recycled plastic destined for landfill: circularity is the beating heart of this store concept, said the retailer. The stores are fitted with a range of upcycled and reclaimed materials such as reclaimed wood and part-recycled plastic storage crates. Even down to the lightweight aluminum facade, every care has been taken to ensure the environmental footprint of every Workshop is as tiny as possible.
The gifting station is a place to personalize gifts with ribbons and recyclable paper. There’s new makeup stands and a dedicated area giving customers the chance to learn about the issues that affect their communities, see for themselves how rewarding social and environmental change can be and meet others who feel the same way. All of the new stores have refill stations to encourage people to bring back and reuse aluminum bottles. Sustainability is a huge part of the new concept.
