Anita Roddick opens The Body Shop

1976

Anita Roddick, born in Littlehampton in 1942, opened the first Body Shop store in Brighton in 1976, beginning a business that would grow into a global brand. The Body Shop's emphasis on natural ingredients, ethical sourcing and opposition to animal testing was revolutionary in the cosmetics industry, and Roddick's Littlehampton roots and the company's subsequent headquarters in the town connected the brand to the community for decades. The Body Shop put Littlehampton on the global business map.