The Body Shop has launched a new concept store in the CF Pacific Centre mall in Vancouver with elements of it to be rolled out in select store locations across Canada.
“Our new concept store reflects all of the key elements of our brand rejuvenation and The Body Shop’s values. We have long believed that business should be a force for good, and customers can see that across this new store. We’re thrilled to introduce our new Shower Gel Refill Station. We’ll continue to share our Community Fair Trade stories, particularly those focused on plastics,” said Hilary Lloyd VP of Marketing and Corporate Responsibility at The Body Shop.
“One of the store’s key features is its sink, a place where staff and customers alike can roll up their sleeves and test and try their favourite products. The new shop will even feature a raw slab of Shea for customers to sample and take home. A second key feature of the new store is our Activism Corner – a physical space where our store teams and consumers alike can engage and campaign for issues that matter to us – things like fighting for gender equality and fighting to end cosmetic animal testing.”
The retailer, which has 123 stores across Canada, has transformed the Vancouver store into an activist workshop that encourages visitors to explore, recycle products and “discover how, together, we can fight for a fairer and more beautiful world.”
It features a shower gel refill station and a water bottle refill station. The store has also been outfitted with sustainable store fixtures like reclaimed wood and recycled plastics to help minimize its environmental footprint. Examples include zinc facade cladding; an eco-friendly material that requires less energy production than other metals and can be produced from recycled materials taken from demolished or re-roofed structures. The store also boasts worktop surfaces that are manufactured from 100 per cent recycled material destined for landfill.
The activism corner is where consumers can discover the brand’s activist roots as well as campaign for social change around issues ranging from gender equality to fighting cosmetic animal testing. Consumers can also find out how they can get involved and take a stand with The Body Shop’s global and local collective of fearless activists.
Lloyd said the activist component will be rolled out in additional locations in Canada and the retailer is also working on taking key experience features from the new store – like its refill bar – and adding it to select store locations across the country.
“This year marks The Body Shop’s 40th anniversary in Canada, and that includes our presence in British Columbia. We have a large, loyal base of ethically engaged customers in the Vancouver market and this new concept store gives us the opportunity to provide our Vancouver customers with an experience that they expect from us and that perhaps they’ve missed from us in recent years. We’re rolling up our sleeves, refocusing on sustainability and reigniting our activist spirit,” said Lloyd.
“We hope to attract visitors who will join us in fighting for a fairer and more beautiful world. From community fair trade and plastics recycling, to refill stations and campaigning for causes that progress social equality, this new concept store is a marked return to our roots. Our ambition is to attract a collective of customers who want to roll up their sleeves and take a stand with us.”
Lloyd said the new Vancouver concept store marks the return to the retailer’s activism roots.
As part of The Body Shop’s new refill program, consumers can now purchase refillable 250mL aluminum bottles and fill them with shower gel favorites including; British Rose, Shea, Pink Grapefruit, Almond Milk & Honey, Satsuma, and Coconut. Combined pricing for the aluminum bottle and shower gel is $12, and shower gel refills are $7.
Lloyd said the revamped Vancouver location will also continue its ‘Return. Recycle. Repeat.’ program. The program, in partnership with Terracycle, encourages shoppers to return their empty bottles, jars, tubs, tubes and pots in exchange for a future purchase voucher.
“In 2019, The Body Shop was B Corp certified joining a select group of companies united in their mission to drive change in society through ethical and sustainable business. In partnership with fellow B Corps, The Body Shop is committed to doing business in a way that does good for both people and the planet.
B Corp certification is awarded to businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose,” said the retailer.
The Body Shop was founded in 1976 in Brighton, England. It operates about 3,000 retail locations in more than 70 countries.
