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Purpose and benefits

Anita Roddick (1942–), the British businesswoman founded The Body Shop, a concept based on environmentally friendly cosmetics. It begun as a cottage industry but she soon outgrew her small shop in Brighton. If the company had expanded in the traditional manner, it might well have lost the small-business charm that made it so successful. Instead, Roddick expanded through franchises, a relatively new concept in the United Kingdom at the time, ensuring that the vibrancy and enthusiasm of the concept was maintained. By the year 2000 there were over 1,500 shops worldwide, and Roddick was spending much of her time and energy championing ethical causes close to her heart.