The Body Shop declared bankrupt in the Netherlands

Cosmetics chain The Body Shop has been declared bankrupt by the court, according to a notification in the Central Insolvency Register. In a statement on Facebook, the chain itself speaks of a bankruptcy in the Netherlands. The stores will remain open for the time being, while a bankruptcy administrator investigates whether there are possibilities for a restart.

The Body Shop filed for bankruptcy and it was declared by the District Court for Midden-Nederland on Tuesday. The Body Shop is registered in Weesp, which is officially part of Amsterdam. A bankruptcy administrator based in Amsterdam has been assigned to handle the next steps.

Gift vouchers can no longer be exchanged in the stores, the company reports. The chain has 27 branches in the Netherlands, with around 100 employees, including temporary workers. The Dutch webshop has not been working for some time. According to a statement on the site, this is due to planned updates, but that situation has been going on for months.

The British branch of the almost 50-year-old cosmetics company, which is known for its sustainable hair and skin products, was declared bankrupt earlier this year. There was also talk of bankruptcy in Belgium. The German investor Aurelius had token over The Body Shop in November last year, but the company ran into problems during the important period around Christmas.

The Body Shop was founded in 1976 in Brighton, England, by Anita Roddick. The group once had 3,000 stores in 70 countries. In 2006, Roddick sold the chain to the French cosmetics giant L’Oréal. She died a year later.

The court-appointed bankruptcy administrator Cedric de Breet cannot yet say much about the chance of a restart. “There is interest,” is all that he would say. He also has yet to answer to the cause of the bankruptcy. He will also investigate that in the coming period.

Trade union CVN is shocked by the bankruptcy, pointing out that another well-known name is in danger of disappearing from the Dutch shopping street. “After the coronavirus, experts had already warned that there would be more bankruptcies. We are now seeing that happen. One after the other is falling over,” responded trade union leader Erik Maas.

In recent months, BCC, Big Bazar, and Game Mania have been declared bankrupt. Earlier this week, Blokker was forced to request a deferment of payment, which is often a precursor to bankruptcy.

Maas called it “especially sad for the employees” that The Body Shop has gone bankrupt in the Netherlands. CNV is now looking into what the union can do for them.

Maas emphasized the importance of quick clarity for the staff. He remembers that at Big Bazar, there was sometimes only one employee left to close the store. According to him, such situations should be avoided because they compromise the safety of the staff.