Brands
The Body Shop introduces Braille features at its Activist Workshop store in Mumbai’s Palladium Mall
Mumbai: The Body Shop, the iconic British-born international ethical beauty brand, is commemorating its 18th anniversary in India with the introduction of Braille features at its Activist Workshop store in Palladium Mall, Mumbai. This innovative move, the first-of-its-kind by The Body Shop, will be a part of a phased approach across its stores countrywide, representing a significant milestone in the brand’s ongoing efforts toward inclusivity and accessibility in India.
Inspired by suggestions from Disability Rights Activist and Youth Collective Council (YCC) member Virali Modi, the Braille features include category call-outs across the store, unlocking a holistically inclusive shopping experience. The YCC was launched in August 2023 to incorporate the voices of India’s emerging changemakers into The Body Shop’s business strategy, fostering a more youth-centric, sustainable, and inclusive approach. This new initiative expands the ambit of The Body Shop’s inclusivity beyond its gender-neutral product range and diverse staff.
Given The Body Shop’s value system and the YCC’s directive strategy discussed early this year at the organisation, the brand is also prioritising gender inclusivity based on suggestions by Ankita Mehra, an activist for the LGBTQA+ community. This is reflected in the brand’s gender-sensitive approach to hiring, training, and management, ensuring the head office and store staff embody this ethos as well.
The brand, which is a changemaker and a pioneer in the beauty industry, has 10 staff members who are a part of the LGBTQA+ spectrum and embrace gender sensitivity at all levels. Additionally, The Body Shop recently hosted an immersive Diversity and Inclusion workshop for all its employees. Through this, the brand enabled its staff to explore and understand what it means to be inclusive, encouraging them to create a space that is safe, welcoming, and inclusive for all, creating an equitable workplace.
The Body Shop – Asia South chief brand officer Harmeet Singh shared her thoughts. “We’re very excited to announce Braille integration at our Mumbai Activist Workshop store, and this coincides with our 18 years’ celebration in India. From inclusive hiring to Braille incorporation, we’re making ethical beauty accessible. Our goal is to gradually ensure inclusive in-store experiences for all, aligning with The Body Shop’s vision.”
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
