The Body Shop to move part of its operations to Germany

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Mar 15, 2019

The extreme uncertainty surrounding Brexit and Britain’s future has prompted The Body Shop to relocate a part of its operations from Littlehampton, West Sussex to Frankfurt, Germany with the opening of a new distribution centre.

The cosmetics company, owned by Brazil’s Natura since 2017, has headquarters in East Croydon and an office in Littlehampton.

The move is expected to impact around 20 roles.

A spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: “The continued uncertainty about the impact of Brexit requires us to be proactive in managing every aspect of our business to meet our customers’ needs.

‘The Body Shop is opening a new distribution centre in, Frankfurt, Germany.  The distribution centre, our first in Continental Europe, will contribute to improving the quality of our service across all channels we operate in.”

“In terms of the impact on the distribution centre in Littlehampton, the changes will result in approximately 20 roles being made redundant.”

The British brand is seeking to reduce the number of redundancies by offering redeployment options. It currently employs over 22,000 people around the world, and operates 3,000 stores.

The Body Shop CEO David Boynton said: “We believe these changes are necessary so we can not only take better care of our customers and fulfil our potential as a world-class beauty business, but also to continue Anita Roddick’s legacy and truly be a force for good in the wider world.”