As The Body Shop goes into administration, Malta branch happy to be expanding

The Body Shop is going into administration in the UK, but the Malta franchise is not going anywhere, its brand manager confirmed on Wednesday.

In a short statement to the media, a spokesperson for The Body Shop Malta confirmed that events in the UK will not affect the franchise businesses overseas, including Malta.

“On the contrary, we are happy to say we are expanding our business with the recent opening of an eighth branch in Mercury Towers and now the forthcoming opening in the Shoreline shopping centre,” the spokesperson said.

“We take this opportunity to thank our customers for their continued support and interest in our business.”

There are eight Body Shop outlets across Malta and Gozo, with a ninth outlet set to open at the Shoreline Shopping Centre later this month.

Meanwhile in the UK, The Body Shop went into administration less than three months after German private equity company Aurelius took it over.

The company is know being managed by the appointed joint administrators: Tony Wright, Geoff Rowley, and Alastair Massey of business advisory firm FRP.

In a statement on Tuesday, the administrators said it faced an extended period of financial challenges under past owners. This coincided with a difficult trading environment for the wider retail sector, they said.

The administrators said they would “consider all options to find a way forward for the business and will update creditors and employees in due course”.