// The Body Shop unveils its new Workshop store in Battersea Power Station, focusing on activism and sustainability
// 90% of the store is made from recycled and sustainably sourced materials and fixtures
The Body Shop has unveiled its new Workshop store in the Battersea Power Station development which is set to open tomorrow.
The flagship store at the iconic London venue sees the ethical beauty retailer combine its activist heritage with its philosophy that business can be a force for good, through investment in a physical retail space.
The business said its Battersea Power Station store has been designed with a community focus at its heart and based on artisan workshops, the Workshop store will bring people together.
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The new opening will be The Body Shop’s 38th Workshop store of this kind in the UK with 20 more stores due to be refit and added to the expanding network by 2023.
The Workshop stores are sustainably designed spaces with 90% of fixture materials in-store sustainably sourced, fitted with a range of upcycled and reclaimed materials such as reclaimed wood and part-recycled plastic storage crates.
The Body Shop Managing Director UK & Ireland Maddie Smith said: “Our new Battersea store showcases the best of The Body Shop’s brand values, and marks a significant investment in bringing these to our customers through a physical store presence.”
“This new concept store boldly embraces our activism roots, and recognises that more and more of our customers want to shop refillable, ethical products. We want people to get talking, get inspired and get active in our spaces. We want our customers to have fun playing with our products but also have conversations about issues that affect them, helping us campaign to progress equality.”
The new store also features an ACT area – a community space where people can discover and be inspired by The Body Shop’s activist roots and environmental and social campaigns on issues ranging from human rights to fighting cosmetic animal testing.
The Battersea Power Station store will also feature a state-of-the-art Refill Station, part of The Body Shop’s mission to make refilling empty beauty bottles mainstream.
Delivered via a conveyor belt design, customers can purchase a refillable 300ml 100% post-consumer recycled aluminium bottle and fill it up with any of 12 of the brand’s popular shower gels, shampoos, conditioners and hand washes.
The Body Shop estimates a total of 25 tonnes of plastic will be saved by the end of the year if consumers make this fun and simple switch
The business has 170 stores around the UK with Refill stations, with another 105 stations to open before the end of 2022.
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