The Body Shop: high street brand saved from administration by Aurea Group - will UK stores near me stay open?

• The Body Shop has been rescued from administration
• Investment firm Aurea completed the acquisition, its largest transaction to date
• The Body Shop's 113 UK stores will remain open, with no immediate plans for closures
• The acquisition aims to revitalise The Body Shop and restore its leadership in the ethical beauty sector
• The brand, founded in 1976, will continue its commitment to cruelty-free and fairtrade products

An iconic high street chain has been saved from administration, with all of its remaining stores set to continue operating.

On Saturday (7 September), a consortium led by British entrepreneur Mike Jatania, announced the successful completion of the acquisition of The Body Shop.

Jatania’s investment firm, Aurea, said the acquisition is its largest to date, and it aims to guide The Body Shop’s revival and restore its position as a global leader in the ethical beauty sector it helped create.

The Body Shop was founded in 1976 by Dame Anita Roddick, trading out of a small shop in Brighton originally and made its name selling cruelty-free fairtrade products.

The new leadership team will be led by Jatania, who previously ran Lornamead - the owner of personal care brands including Lypsyl, Woods of Windsor, Yardley and Harmony haircare - and Charles Denton, the former CEO of beauty brand Molton Brown.

The Body Shop fell into administration in early February after previous forecasts for how much funding it would need to keep going proved too low.

In the weeks that followed, administrators said hundreds of jobs would be lost and dozens of shops closed. The business employed about 1,500 store workers before the administration. At present, there are no plans to close any of The Body Shop’s 113 remaining UK stores, and the brand is set to continue operating as usual in existing stores.

Jatania said: “With the Body Shop, we have acquired a truly iconic brand with highly engaged consumers in over 70 markets around the world.

“We plan to focus relentlessly on exceeding their expectations by investing in product innovation and seamless experiences across all of the channels where customers shop while paying homage to the brand’s ethical and activist positioning.”

What do you think about the future of The Body Shop under its new leadership? Share your thoughts and any predictions for the brand’s revival in the comments section.