Body Shop
I. Statement of the Problem
How can The Body Shop compete in the U.S. market and retain its influence in the cosmetics industry despite threats like fiercer competition, apparent weaker competitive advantage, and the inevitable change in leadership?
II. Case Facts and Background
The Body Shop has been a fast-growing company in the cosmetics industry. Anita Riddick, the founder and managing director of the company had the habit of going against the tide of the industry’s established practices. It did not advertise, avoided traditional distribution channels, spent as little as possible on packaging, and used product labels to describe ingredients rather than to make miraculous claims. From a single storefront in 1976, it had grown to 576 shops by 1991, trading in 38 countries and 18 languages. But in the early 1990s, some began wondering if the The Body Shop’s phenomenal run of success was fading.
With its entry in to U. S. Market , observers wondered whether it cold maintain its phenomenal growth. They pointed to the fact that sales in the United Kingdom, which represented 67% of the company’s total, had grown by only 1%, after inflation and new store openings had been removed from the 1990 figures. Although the $12 billion U. S. cosmetics market clearly represented the company’s greatest growth opportunity, Gordon Roddick, Anita’s husband, was particularly nervous about entering what had been described as “graveyard for British retailers.” It was Gordon’s view that while the United States offered the The Body Shop the greatest potential for growth, it also represented the greatest potential for disaster.
In 1988, The Body Shop’s first branch in U. S. was opened in Morristown, New Jersey. Under the direction of a British expatriate, twelve company-owned shops were opened on the East Coast. Total investment exceeded £10 million. In mid-1990, the company began franchising and by year’s end, 37 shops had been opened. By
How can The Body Shop compete in the U.S. market and retain its influence in the cosmetics industry despite threats like fiercer competition, apparent weaker competitive advantage, and the inevitable change in leadership?
II. Case Facts and Background
The Body Shop has been a fast-growing company in the cosmetics industry. Anita Riddick, the founder and managing director of the company had the habit of going against the tide of the industry’s established practices. It did not advertise, avoided traditional distribution channels, spent as little as possible on packaging, and used product labels to describe ingredients rather than to make miraculous claims. From a single storefront in 1976, it had grown to 576 shops by 1991, trading in 38 countries and 18 languages. But in the early 1990s, some began wondering if the The Body Shop’s phenomenal run of success was fading.
With its entry in to U. S. Market , observers wondered whether it cold maintain its phenomenal growth. They pointed to the fact that sales in the United Kingdom, which represented 67% of the company’s total, had grown by only 1%, after inflation and new store openings had been removed from the 1990 figures. Although the $12 billion U. S. cosmetics market clearly represented the company’s greatest growth opportunity, Gordon Roddick, Anita’s husband, was particularly nervous about entering what had been described as “graveyard for British retailers.” It was Gordon’s view that while the United States offered the The Body Shop the greatest potential for growth, it also represented the greatest potential for disaster.
In 1988, The Body Shop’s first branch in U. S. was opened in Morristown, New Jersey. Under the direction of a British expatriate, twelve company-owned shops were opened on the East Coast. Total investment exceeded £10 million. In mid-1990, the company began franchising and by year’s end, 37 shops had been opened. By