cosmetics
The Belgian branch of the British cosmetics chain The Body Shop was declared bankrupt by a Dutch court on Tuesday. The Dutch channel RTL Z reports this and the curator’s office confirms the news.
The Body Shop closed its doors in its home country two weeks ago. A consultancy firm was appointed to arrange the bankruptcy and restructuring of the British activities, with a view to a restart.
The Body Shop’s Belgian webshop was already closed. According to RTL Z, the chain has almost twenty branches in Belgium. Last week it was already clear that most of those stores were closed pending more news after the British bankruptcy.
A Dutch curator must now settle the bankruptcy, because the Belgian stores legally fall under the Dutch business unit The Body Shop Benelux. The Belgian trade unions have no representatives in the shops.
The Body Shop was founded in 1976 in Brighton, UK. The focus from the start was on sustainable, ethical products.
The chain has 900 stores in 20 countries worldwide. 7,000 people work there. In addition, there are 1,600 stores in 69 countries that are operated by franchisees. (belga)
