The Body Shop has doubled down on its history as an activist brand with the launch of a new flagship “Changemaker Workshop” store in Toronto’s Yorkdale mall.

The launch strategy was devised by the recently-founded consultancy Tough Love and hones in on The Body Shop’s track record of activism not only in Canada, but globally. The goal is to help the brand appeal to younger consumers who are more likely to “align their values to their wallets,” Tough Love co-founder and principal strategist Julie Sheldon tells strategy, while also enabling existing consumers to reconnect with the purpose-driven mission that may have first brought them through the Body Shop’s doors.

“The Body Shop has done incredible work since 1976, so it felt like very strong territory for us to lean in and remind Torontonians of what the company’s legacy is,” Sheldon adds. “We live in a world where brands are now stepping up [on social issues], and some are just being performative. But The Body Shop has been doing the work, and we wanted to remind Torontonians that when they shop there, they’re part of it.”

The “Changemaker Workshop” concept isn’t new – in fact, there are now six such stores across the country, with the other locations in Vancouver, Oshawa, Calgary, Burnaby, and Edmonton. Five more are planned to open doors later this year, as well. The shops are designed to provide a more immersive shopping experience for consumers, while also putting the brand’s activism front and centre with “activist stations” in house. According to the brand, this store concept is driving higher traffic and sales than more traditional locations.

However, the strategic execution of leaning in on the brand’s legacy of advocacy, including recent efforts such as “Be Seen Be Heard” and its continued support for Pride, is specific to this location.

“We didn’t have to build in purpose retroactively,” explains Lindsay Waugh, who shares Sheldon’s title as co-founder and principal strategist and worked with her on the effort. “The Body Shop was so ingrained with purpose even before purpose was popular, so it was refreshing to be able to tell that story authentically.”

“As a certified B corporation, we firmly believe that our business should be used as a force for good and actively use our voice through campaigning, advocacy and more,” Hilary Lloyd, VP of marketing and corporate responsibility for The Body Shop North America, previously told strategy. “By ensuring our advocacy efforts are year-round priorities for us, we have established authentic advocacy.”

In a bid to further cement the messaging, Tough Love devised a number of unique initiatives for the Body Shop. Among them was the reintroduction of the recognizable Body Shop t-shirt. A staple of ’90s fashion, the brand’s baggy tees were often emblazoned with catchy slogans that encouraged people to be agents of change on various social and environmental issues. As part of the store’s opening, Tough Love scoured the internet to find as many of the shirts as it could, and then bought them all, had them professionally cleaned, and brought them to the Yorkdale store for resale – with the proceeds donated to Toronto-based youth charity Apathy is Boring and its RISE program.

In addition, the brand recreated two of the shirts and launched a new one specifically for 2023, bearing a simple message: “Choose Change.” The initiative was aimed at those younger consumers who are more socially conscious and intended to “help them fall in love with The Body Shop,” explains Waugh.

“We wanted to speak to Gen Z consumers about what they’re into, and that’s part of why we brought back the shirts – because Gen Z is into wearing their values on their sleeve, literally,” she adds.

The in-store experience was further enhanced with a digital screen and the activism station itself both showcasing a timeline of The Body Shop’s activism, as well as an interactive element inviting guests to write down on post-its the change they wanted to make in their local communities, to be added to a board on the station. Finally, a wrap on the staircase outside of the store – which leads to the mall’s food court – encouraged consumers to take action and make change.

The entire effort was not only a chance to celebrate the brand’s track record, but also to “remind Toronto, and educate the younger generation that doesn’t know already, that they can feel good about coming in and spending money at The Body Shop because not only are the products great, but everything that goes into them is thought about,” Sheldon says. “Every product has a story. Gen Z cares about all of it, and they’re open about that.”

The flagship launch is the first work for The Body Shop by Tough Love, but the consultancy expects it will be handling future projects for the brand as well, Sheldon says. MacIntyre Communications handled the PR.