Shaping The Body Shop
HAVING a well -recognized brand does not guarantee a successful take-off in the Philippines unless it secures one crucial factor: store location. Manny del Rosario, CEO of cosmetics and toiletry company The Body Shop Philippines, recounts how the company took root with a little help from the country’s largest shopping mall chain.
In 1995, after beating more than 100 competitors in a bid to acquire the international brand’s exclusive Philippine franchise, Del Rosario sought for a suitable spot to house the prestigious brand known for its naturally-inspired and ethical products in SM Megamall. But the lack of available space within the mall prompted del Rosario and crew to find a location somewhere else.
Two stores opened in 1996, one of which was SM Southmall in Las Piñas “On opening day, we had to close the store because of the sheer number of people,” Del Rosario says. “In fact, the shop’s door, which was made of wood and glass, nearly collapsed because of the size of the crowd.”
The success of the first The Body Shop stores did not dampen the company’s wish for a spot in SM Megamall, then the country’s biggest shopping mall. “During those days we were talking to Harley Sy,” Del Rosario recalls. “Harley was instrumental in helping us secure the best location in the mall. He has an eye for space where you will succeed.”
Del Rosario says they were offered a spot on the ground floor of the mall’s Building B, a stretch which Harley Sy called “Hong Kong retailers” owing to the line-up of the stores that included Giordano and Bossini. The Body Shop opened its third store at SM Megamall in November 1996. “We did extremely well, sending a message that we were catering to a wider market segment.”
To date, The Body Shop has 54 stores nationwide, 25 of them inside SM malls. Its flagship store, the largest in terms of floor area and sales, is aptly located in SM Mall of Asia. The mall is also the site of the company’s new concept store, Pulse Boutique, offering a more hands-on experience to customers by allowing them to sample products and learn more about The Body Shop’s advocacies.
Del Rosario says The Body Shop was one of the pioneers in the use of shower gel and body butter in the country. Initially, a lot of people said they would not sell in the Philippines. “We had no idea what the reception would be like in the local market,” he says. “The Philippines is a soap market. We wanted to change that.” With the kind of shape that The Body Shop is in today, that objective was obviously achieved.