Roddick, Anita 1942–2007

(Anita Lucia Roddick, Anita Lucia Perilli Roddick, Anita Lucia Roddick, Dame)

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born October 23, 1942, in Littlehampton, West Sussex, England; died of a brain hemorrhage, September 10, 2007, in Chichester, West Sussex, England. Cosmetics executive, business owner, social and environmental activist, philanthropist, and author. Roddick was known for her uncanny and unconventional business acumen and her passionate commitment to environmental and social causes; it is hard to say which of these accomplishments will become her most far-reaching legacy. In 1976 Roddick opened her first Body Shop in Brighton, England, to support her family while her husband pursued adventures abroad; her previous business experience included about fifteen years as a restaurant owner and manager in her hometown. By the time she parted company with the cosmetics business thirty years later, her business had expanded to more than 2,000 locations around the world. In the beginning, Roddick was one of the few entrepreneurs to sell only natural products that were ethically tested and manufactured. Her timing was perfect, for social consciousness was just beginning to awaken to environmental issues and other causes. Roddick embraced these causes, too, becoming an activist not just for environmentally safe, natural products that were not tested on animals, but also for a wide range of social concerns. She campaigned for rainforest conservation and voting rights, aid for developing countries and the protection of whales and other wildlife, and equal opportunities regardless of age or gender, to name just a few. Her supporters claimed that Roddick used her shops to promote her philanthropic agenda; her critics claimed that she used her activist stance to sell her beauty products. Either way, her philanthropy was substantial. In 2006 alone, upon the sale of her business to cosmetic giant L'Oréal, Roddick donated thirty million British pounds to her charitable foundation. She received many awards for her business success and charitable endeavors. In 2003 she was honored by Queen Elizabeth II as a dame of the British Empire. In addition to two autobiographies, Roddick was the author of The Body Shop Book: Skin, Hair, and Body Care(1994). She edited Take It Personally: How to Make Conscious Choices to Change the World(2001).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

BOOKS

Roddick, Anita,Body and Soul: Profits with Principles; The Amazing Success Story of Anita Roddick and the Body Shop, Crown (New York, NY), 1991.

Roddick, Anita,Business as Unusual: The Triumph of Anita Roddick, Thorsons (London, England), 2000.

PERIODICALS

Los Angeles Times, September 11, 2007, p. B9.

New York Times, September 12, 2007, p. C11.

Times(London, England), September 11, 2007, p. 59.