Thousands of jobs are at risk at The Body Shop, as the cosmetics retailer’s new owners line up administrators for its British arm. The Body Shop could go into administration as early as this week, leading to store closures, having suffered disappointing trading over Christmas and in early January. The retail chain, which has more than 200 shops, was bought by the pan-European private equity investor Aurelius last November. Administrators at FRP Advisory are likely to be appointed as soon as this week to handle an insolvency process, Sky News reported on Saturday, citing sources who said they expected the closure of a significant number of the stores. The Body Shop’s international businesses have already been sold to an unknown family office, according to Retail Week. The Body Shop, known for its ethical trading ethos, dates back almost 50 years, as my colleaue Rob Davies explains: "Roddick, an environmental campaigner, activist and entrepreneur, founded the Body Shop in Brighton in 1976. The company remained under her ownership for three decades, until she sold it in 2006. Roddick died the following year. "By then, The Body Shop had become synonymous with its ethical positions, including a refusal to stock products tested on animals and a sourcing of ingredients from natural products that are traded ethically." Also coming up • 10am GMT: European Commission winter forecasts • Noon GMT: India’s industrial production data for December & inflation for January • 1pm GMT: Russian balance of trade for December • 6pm GMT: Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey gives lecture at Loughborough University
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