Business
An Israeli
Soap Opera
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•
Jerusalem (JPFS)—Three years ago
few people were aware of Body Shop,
a small and unpretentious Israeli nat-
ural skin-care chain. While the corn-
pany already had 16 stores across the
country, none were doing well and
losses were growing at an alarming
pace.
But the chain has been upgraded
and updated, and today it is a thriving
and profitable business which brought
in large sales in 1996 and promises
more this year. Three new stores are
opening in the next few months and
brand awareness is increasing.
Ironically, what brought about this
transformation was a clash with a
giant.
It seems unthinkable, but two years
ago Body Shop Israel, part of Fisher
Pharmaceuticals Inc., Israel's largest
skin-care company, went into a trade-
name battle with a seemingly unstop-
pable multinational titan — the Body
Shop International — and won,
despite the fact that the whole concept
of the Israeli chain had been taken
from the international one.
As a result of this unusual victory,
the British-based multinational, which
has 1,500 stores in 47 countries
around the world in 1996, cannot
open so much as a stall anywhere from
Eilat to Naharia.
This is the skin-care equivalent of
Israel's tiny MacDavid Hamburger
chain preventing burger giant
McDonald's from operating in Israel.
While the Israeli chain has clearly
beaten its larger rival, this is no ordi-
nary David vs. Goliath story.
Instead, this is a tale that could
grace the storyline of many a daytime
soap.
According to a Body Shop Israel
adviser, who did not wish to be
named, the story began in 1984 when
two Israelis from Haifa approached
he highly successful British chain,
owned by Anita Roddick, and asked if
they could franchise a store in Israel.
Roddick refused, but the two men
decided to go ahead anyway. They
opened a store in Tel Aviv and, using
the same concept as their British com-
petitor, began selling natural skin-care
products made from vegetable and
ineral ingredients that hadn't been
tested on animals.
They brazenly called it Body Shop.
Over the next 10 years, as the Body
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The Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit Presents as Part of the "Hot Topics Series, , , "
Peace & Conflict in the Family:
Are we one Jewish People?
Phil Jacobs - Editor of Detroit Jewish News Will Moderate
Thursday, September 25, 1997 • 7:30 p.m.
Jewish Community Center Maple/Drake Building
This program is co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Council & The Jewish News
Rabbi Harold Loss - Temple Israel
Professor Alan Schenk - T'Chiyah
Rabbi Efry Spectre - Adat Shalom
Rabbi Steven Weil - Young Israel
Rabbi Sherwin Wine - Birmingham Temple
• Panel of Local Rabbis • Tolerance versus Understanding
• Perspectives and Solutions • Recent World Events and Their Impact On Our Community
There is no charge for this program.
Refreshments will be served.
Call (248) 661-7649 to pre-register for the lecture.
'TN
DETROIT =WEISZ NEWS
JCC
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1997
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