Naturewatch has been stunned by the
strength of response against the Body Shop. Since the sale was announced, we have received
thousands of telephone calls, letters and emails from
previously loyal Body Shop customers and employees who are 'appalled and
dismayed' by the sale.
Compelled into action, many of these people have
been organising and attending peaceful Body Shop protests
throughout the country to raise awareness and collect the
signatures of people who will be boycotting The Body Shop
until L’Oréal, its
parent company, ends its use of animals in the development of
cosmetics and toiletries.
Regular Body Shop protests are held in Bromley town centre.
We were therefore delighted when, in October, it
was reported that Body Shop sales had dropped in the UK. This will have sent a crystal clear message to L’Oréal
that it cannot
buy credibility by buying The Body Shop!
Here are just a few comments from some of
the regional protest organisers:
Worthing – Mary O’Brien
“We’ve been outside the Body Shop in Worthing on Saturdays for many
weeks now with our petitions, leaflets, posters, etc. On the first day I went into the shop and spoke to the
Manageress and she said that she’d been told L’Oréal
had not tested on animals since 1989! We
have been supported very well by shoppers – it is, however,
surprising to find how many folk do not know that L’Oréal
now own The Body Shop.” (Since 1989,
manufacturers have been testing ingredients on behalf of L’Oréal.)
Bruce the dog was on hand to help out the
protesters outside the Worthing Body Shop.
Swindon – Marilyn Harrison
“I found it amazing that most people we
spoke to didn't know about the takeover by L’Oréal
and were very keen to sign the petition when we told them.” |
Protesters start to gather outside the Body Shop in
Canterbury.
Peterborough – Donna Burke
“We got over 250 signatures and had
some interesting conversations, lots of people were unaware of
the L'Oréal takeover; others knew about it but didn't know
about L'Oréal’s animal testing policy – so hopefully we've
educated a few! The
manager of the store called the police at one point, but after
a chat with them we were free to continue. I think we did a good job for the time we had there.”
Kettering – David Smailes
“This was a very popular protest with
shoppers with dozens of 'I can’t believe it' quotes from
the public. The Body Shop called the police
as they were not happy with us being there but we were not
asked to leave as no offence had been committed. All in all, it was a very worthwhile effort with
hundreds of petition signatures collected.”
Anita Young chats to a shopper outside the
Tavern Street Body Shop in Ipswich.
Ipswich – Anita Young
“We’ve been outside The Body Shop
several times to raise awareness. The Body Shop used to be very busy, particularly at
lunchtimes, but now it’s very quiet. A lot of people are shocked when they see our posters
and stop to talk as they had no idea about the takeover.”
Naturewatch would like to thank
everyone involved with the peaceful Body Shop protests and ask
anyone who reads this to contact us if they would like to
attend or organise protests in their area.
Currently protests are taking place
in: Brighton/Hove, Bromley/Croydon, Birmingham, Bury St
Edmunds, Canterbury, Cardiff, Cheltenham/Gloucester, Coventry,
Doncaster, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Ipswich/Colchester, Leicester,
Manchester, Northampton/Kettering, Norwich, Peterborough,
Sutton/Kingston, Swindon, Taunton, Tunbridge Wells, Worthing. |
