End of speculation: Natura & Co sells The Body Shop to Aurelius Group for more than 210 million euros.
As reported by Cosmetics Business, The Body Shop is to be owned by investor Aurelius Group for a figure in excess of £207 million. The deal will be made official in December and is pending approval by the relevant regulatory authorities.
The investor group that has acquired The Body Shop also owns popular chains such as Lloyds Pharmacy and Footasylum and plans for the same management team to drive the business forward and strive for excellence, as explained in Cosmetics Business.
The Body Shop's CEO explained that this is a historic moment for the company and the start of a new chapter that he hopes will continue to help build the brand globally. "I look forward to working closely with Aurelius as we adapt and thrive in new global retail environments, with an eye on sustainable and profitable growth," said Ian Bickley.
Rumours first surfaced last year that Natura was considering a sale of The Body Shop after a year of losses and a deterioration and decline in sales in the second quarter of 2022. In a press appearance to publicly evaluate the brand's results, Fabio Barbosa, who was then the group's CEO, let slip that the "different options of the group" were being studied, opening the door to a possible sale of The Body Shop.
Over the last few months, Natura has had major cosmetics companies behind it to take over The Body Shop, but only this was the offer that convinced the Natura group.
At the beginning of 2023, Natura also made official the sale of Aesop to L'Oréal for more than 2.5 billion dollars after long months of negotiations between the two groups.