Source: Rachel Roberts
Standard Accent: British
Speaker: Rachel Roberts
Language level: Basic
THE BODY SHOP
Anita Roddick
Anita Roddick is a unique woman: she is both the founder of the multi-national chain the Body Shop and an activist for a thousand causes. She has also worked for the United Nations, lived with tribes in Africa, edited several books, and brought up two daughters.
ON SALE
Why is Roddick still a controversial personality? She recently sold The Body Shop to the French multi-national L’Oréal, for £650 million, or € 950 million. This angered many fellow activists because LÓréal is partly owned by Nestlé, a company that is boycotted around the world for its animal testing and its marketing of baby milk substitutes. Roddick admits that it’s true, she has sold her company to the enemy, but she says The Body Shop is now a Trojan horse that will change LÓréal from within.
How did it all begin? Back in 1976, Anita Roddick’s husband, poet Gordon Roddick, left the family and their small hotel business and set off on a two-year quest: he rode a horse across South America to raise money for charity. Anita was left with their two children to support, so she decided to open a small cosmetics shop in Brighton. Ironically, she painted the shop’s walls green to cover marks caused by damp, and used small recyclable bottles because her mother had taught the family the importance of recycling. The rest in history: The Body Shop now has over 2.000 shops in 52 countries. Roddick says, “Success is more than a good idea. It’s timing, too. The Body Shop arrived just when Europe was going green.”
POLITICAL ACTIVIST
Roddick campaigned through her shops all over the world: she supported Amnesty International, environmentalist groups and the fair trade movement. She fought against cruelty to animals, especially animal testing in the cosmetics business.
Today Roddick is still very active: she’s calling for the release of the Angola 3 – three American prisoners who have spent 34 years in solitary confinement for a murder they didn’t commit. “Get informed, get angry, get inspired, get active!” shouts Ruddick. Visit her website ( www.anitaroddick.com ) and discover the many issues that interested this tireless campaigner.
Roddick on Roddick
Anita Roddick speaks about cosmetic and The Body Shop: “Running a shop is about creating a product that’s so good, people will pray for it.” “Anti-ageing creams are a nonsense. The only real way to get rid of wrinkles is surgery.” “The end result of kindness is that it attracts people to you.” Roddick’s favourite quote: “If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to sleep with a mosquito.” (Phillip Elmer-DeWitt).
