Bring Out Your Dead: Mall Retailer ‘The Body Shop’ Files For Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Another one bites the dust.

Following the endless list of mall-retailer bankruptcies that have occurred since Covid further made in-person shopping more irrelevant than it was in years prior, one more name is joining the list: The Body Shop. 

Since its inception in 1976 by Anita Roddick in the United Kingdom, The Body Shop has navigated through various ownerships, and recently, it has been embroiled in a highly publicized struggle for survival, The Street reported last week. 

This struggle was initially signaled by the closure of half its UK stores, subsequently leading to a restructuring process in Canada and a sudden shutdown of its operations in the U.S. on March 4.

“Bring out your dead!”

“The Canadian subsidiary of the global beauty and cosmetics brand announced it has started restructuring proceedings by filing a Notice of Intention (NOI) to Make a Proposal pursuant to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada). In the same release, the company said that, as of March 1, 2024, The Body Shop US Limited has ceased operations,” a report from Chain Store Age said days ago. 

A vague message on the U.S. website of the company hinted at temporary maintenance; however, the persistence of this message, coupled with a new filing, indicates a permanent closure rather than a temporary outage

According to The Street, the company’s website reads: “We’re currently undergoing planned maintenance, but don’t worry we’re due to be back online soon.”

The Guardian followed on by reporting: “The US arm of the ethical cosmetics group has ceased trading at its 50 outlets. On Saturday (March 9), it filed for Chapter 7 insolvency, under which assets are sold off to clear debts, putting about 400 jobs at risk including those in a distribution center that still holds millions of dollars worth of stock.”