Overseas markets do well
Pre-tax profits rose by 5 per cent at The Body Shop to£37.6 million for the year to February 25. Total group like-for-like sales were up 4 per cent.

Continental Europe, the Middle East and Africa performed well, with a like-for-like sales increase of 7 per cent, compared with a 2 per cent increase in the UK and Ireland and a drop of 1 per cent in the US.

For the first eight weeks of the current financial year, total group like-for-likes sales were up 5 per cent.

The group said it would continue to pursue its multi-channel strategy. The retailer's US web site more than doubled its sales last year and sales at the Body Shop At Home business - which operates in the UK, USA and Australasia - increased by 14 per cent.

Body Shop's new store format will also continue to be rolled-out across all regions over the course of the next 12 months.

During the last financial year, 88 stores were opened, including expansion into the new markets of Russia and Jordan. The group operates 2,133 outlets worldwide.

In March, health and beauty giant L'Oréal announced that its 300p-a-share cash offer for Body Shop had been accepted by shareholders. The deal values The Body Shop at£652 million.