Sunday, March 19, 2006

Big business strikes again! I am too shocked to be angry and too agonized to be coherent.

Anita Roddick, has sold the Body Shop to cosmetics giant L'Oreal for £650 million. The Body Shop was the standard-bearer for ethics and values in business, and campaigned endlessly for an end to the testing of cosmetics on animals. The company's fundamental values of 'No Animal Testing', 'Support Community Trade', 'Protect the Environment', 'Protect Human Rights' will supposedly remain the same despite the takeover/sellout.

Meeting Anita Roddick two years ago at the Edinburgh Book Festival was a dream come true. What a woman! For years, she has provided hope and inspiration to small, alternative, non-mainstream businesses. She made us believe in the true power of one, gave us the strength to plug along, and fight for what we believe in. I think she was the only activist who truly "got it". A keen business sense, serious smarts, heart, soul, and no ordinary amount of passion - the lady is a legend. Hmmm, nothing like hyperbole to numb the senses. For a moment there, I forgot about the subject of this post.

Anita claims nothing will change. She says she is truly flattered that L'Oreal wants to alter the way they do business and wants Anita/ Body Shop to show them the way. In response to campaigners, employees, franchisees and all the millions who are horrified to hear the news, she says, "the campaigning, the being maverick, changing the rules of business, it's all there, protected. And it's not going to change. That's part of our DNA." And I think with all the franchisees and clients, they know me. They know I'm a maverick. They know I'm loud-mouthed on certain issues. They know I challenge The Body Shop in many ways. I am not and Gordon (her husband) is not going to do this relationship, this deal, if we didn't think and believe from our real heart that this was the best next stage for The Body Shop.

Anita, you're too smart to throw it all away but seriously, why couldn't you have taught L'Oreal about animal testing, fair trade, and ethics, without selling them the Body Shop? If they care that much about all this "stuff", why didn't they just hire you as a consultant? Why did it have to be an all or nothing deal?

I don't want to be a cynic or pass judgement without giving this deal a chance - but really, mega corporations do not give a flying fuck about anything other than Wall Street and winning. Will L'Oreal risk the "numbers" when Dame Anita tells them to stop testing on animals and to incorporate "fair trade" into their strategy? Companies don't become corporate giants by being nice and fair and just. This is just sickening.

Shattered :-(

UPDATE: A Day In The Life Of ... Dame Anita Roddick

Posted by BeanZ | Permalink: 3:10 PM |