Global beauty brand The Body Shop is growing its retail presence in Canada with shop-in-shop locations at Shoppers Drug Mart stores.
Jordan Searle, President of The Body Shop North America, said currently the brand is in 53 locations with the concept.
“Firstly we’ve had quite a history I think over the last couple of years of talking with Shoppers on and off and finally the timing was right to work with them,” said Searle. “As you know, they’re an awesome retailer. Very present in Canada not only physically but in the consumer’s mind as well.
“For us, we’re very penetrated in terms of D2C in Canada. We have ecommerce that compliments the 108-store network and those stores are a huge part of our business. Hence continued investment to upgrade them.
“But over the COVID period there was quite a lot of changes in the ways consumers were shopping. Because grocery and pharmacy were kind of still trading through that period and they were often only the most accessible retail for people to shop, it became a common place for consumers to shop in all the different categories within those different environments. And that trend still has persisted as we’ve moved away from COVID.
“For us, in order to bring The Body Shop to more consumers and to make it more convenient for people to shop The Body Shop, we felt that a relationship with Shoppers was a great idea. That’s primarily why we expanded with them.”
The Body Shop has 108 stores across Canada. The Body Shop operates about 3,000 retail locations in more than 70 countries.
Searle said the brand has not opened any new locations in Canada in the past year but it has been undergoing renovations of existing locations.
“Obviously with 108 stores, we’re fairly well penetrated across Canada. So it’s really been a question of us upgrading our stores to our new workshop concept. The most notable of those would be our Yorkdale store which was back in August,” he said, adding that about nine stores have gone through the process.
“And more to come.”
Searle described The Body Shop as a democratic beauty brand with quite a unique place in the market being an activist brand and focusing on sustainability.
The shop-in-shop concept is nationwide. And The Body Shop is branded within those Shoppers stores.
“We’ve been super happy with the results that we’ve been achieving with Shoppers and certainly we’ve proven that we have a place within the Shoppers merchandising mix. So right now we are discussing future great plans with them. But obviously not totally at liberty to say what that looks like but for sure we’re looking to grow,” said Searle.
This move marks The Body Shop’s first expansion beyond its standalone brick-and-mortar retail locations in Canada.
The shop-in-shop locations carry a select assortment of the brand’s ethically sourced and sustainably made products including bath, body, hair, and skin care from some of its most popular ranges like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Edelweiss, Tea Tree, and Hemp. Customers will also find the brand’s most well-known body care favorite, Body Butter.
“We are so proud to be partnering with Shoppers Drug Mart, one of the most recognized and trusted names in Canadian retailing, to make shopping for our products as convenient as possible,” said Hilary Lloyd, VP of Brand & Activism, The Body Shop North America. “As a leader in changemaking beauty, we prioritize positive change for the planet and the communities we source our ingredients from. We’re thrilled this expansion will allow us to further grow our mission and impact by making our products more accessible to Canadians.”
Founded in 1976 in Brighton, England, by Dame Anita Roddick, The Body Shop is a global beauty brand and a certified B Corp. The Body Shop seeks to make positive change in the world by offering high-quality, naturally inspired skincare, body care, hair care and make-up produced ethically and sustainably. Having pioneered the philosophy that business can be a force for good, this ethos is still the brand’s driving force. Along with Avon and Natura, The Body Shop is part of Natura & Co, a global, multi-channel and multi-brand cosmetics group that is committed to generating positive economic, social, and environmental impact.
“Customers trust us to have the best beauty assortment in the country and we continue to launch new brands to ensure we always have something for everyone,” said Gwennaëlle Varnier, Vice President, Prestige Beauty, Shoppers Drug Mart. “We’re noticing a trending increase in body care purchases in Canada, and we are intentionally welcoming The Body Shop products to our lineup because we know it’s what our customers are looking for. Plus, this brand is taking steps towards a more beautiful planet, which is important to us as a purpose-led retailer.”
Shoppers Drug Mart (Pharmaprix in Québec) has almost 1,350 stores.
