Tiring of Roddick's of social and environmental “radicalism,” the board forced her to resign as CEO. Roddick and her husband (with just 18% of the stock) remained on the board as co-chairmen until 2002, when they were replaced. Roddick
continued to carry out public relations functions for the company and traveled the world in search of new product ideas, but no longer had any control over the strategic direction of the firm she had founded.
On March 17, 2006, the Body Shop’s board agreed to the company’s sale to L’Oreal for a premium of 34.2% over
the company’s stock price. The sale was perceived by observers as quite ironic, given that for years Anita Roddick
had criticized L’Oreal for its animal testing practices and for its exploitation of women in the workplace. On its Web
site, Naturewatch said: “We feel that the Body Shop has ‘sold out’ and is not standing on its principles.” Animal
rights activists and some consumers vowed to boycott Body Shop stores. Within three weeks of the announcement, the Body Shop’s “satisfaction” rating compiled by BrandIndex fell 11 points, to 14, its “buzz” rating fell by 10
points, to 4, and its “general impression” fell by 3 points . One Body Shop customer reflected the widespread dissatisfaction: “The Body Shop used to be my high street “safe house,” a place where I could walk into and know
that what I bought was okay, that people were actually benefiting from my purchase. . . . By buying from the Body
Shop, you are now no longer supporting ethical consumerism. If I want legitimate fair-trade, non-animal tested
products, I can find them easily, at the same price, elsewhere.”