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The Body Shop has been acquired by Aurelius Group from Natura and Co for £207m, which includes an earn-out of £90m.
Aurelius will work with the management team to “drive operational excellence” across the group, leveraging its expertise and experience in the omni-channel retail and wholesale markets.
The retail group is headquartered in London and employs approximately 7,000 staff, with operations in 89 markets over a network of more than 900 stores in 20 countries.
The Body Shop also has partnerships with head franchisees who operate approximately 1,600 franchised stores in a further 69 geographies.
In recent years, Aurelius has completed many complex corporate carve-outs across Europe, including the acquisitions of brands such as Footasylum from JD Sports and LSG Sky Chefs from Deutsche Lufthansa AG.
Tristan Nagler, partner at Aurelius, said: “We are delighted to be undertaking this acquisition of an iconic British brand, which pioneered the cruelty-free and natural ingredient movement in the health and beauty market.
“We look forward to working with CEO Ian Bickley and his team to drive operational improvements and re-energise the business, and help to deliver the next chapter of success.”
Ian Bickley, CEO of The Body Shop, added: “Today, we celebrate a truly historic moment for The Body Shop as we join forces with Aurelius to begin a new chapter, allowing us to continue building the relevancy of this global brand for future generations. With a presence in over 80 countries, The Body Shop is not only a beauty brand, but also an iconic social business that has captured hearts in nearly every corner of the world.
“We are deeply grateful to Natura and Co for their unwavering support and I’m looking forward to working hand in hand with Aurelius as we adapt and flourish in new global retail environments, always with an eye on sustainable and profitable growth.”
