Once-Pioneering British Ethical Beauty Brand, The Body Shop, Sold for £207m
In a significant development, The Body Shop, known for its ethical stance, has been sold for £207m, marking a substantial decline from its £880m value just six years ago. Brazilian cosmetics group Natura, which acquired the chain in 2017, cited the decision to sell as a move to “simplify and refocus its operations.” The brand, founded in 1976 by Anita Roddick, has changed hands three times since 2006. Despite its initial commitment to ethical values, some loyal customers criticised the brand’s sale to L’Oreal in 2006 and subsequent transfer to Natura.
Wages Outpace Inflation, But Job Market Shows Signs of Weakening
While wages have risen faster than inflation by 7.7% between July and September, there are emerging concerns in the job market. Official figures indicate a slowdown in wage rises in certain industries, coupled with a decline in job vacancies for the 16th consecutive month. The UK’s unemployment rate remains unchanged at 4.2%, but the shrinking number of job vacancies, down by 58,000 to 957,000 between August and October, raises questions about the job market’s overall health.
Cloudsoft AMP 7 Enhances Support for Terraform Deployments
Edinburgh-based Cloudsoft announces the availability of Cloudsoft AMP 7, featuring expanded support for Terraform deployments. The platform facilitates the description, deployment, management, and recovery of environments and applications. With enterprises increasingly relying on numerous applications, Gartner expects IT spend on software to surpass $1tn in 2024. Cloudsoft AMP 7’s integration with Terraform aims to streamline resource deployment automation, reduce manual efforts, and enhance Mean Time To Recovery, providing a valuable toolkit for enterprise IT teams navigating complex application landscapes.
