It happens in pakistan

Feel good,woman

The Body Shop comes to Karachi, giving women more reason to feel beautiful

Aamna Haider Isani

Take a day in the average working woman's life: she gets back from work exhausted to find out that the power's out, the kids are filthy and the husband has invited friends over for dinner. Instead of killing herself over lack of energy, she decides to take half an hour to pamper herself. She knows it will help invigorate her back into action. She'll cleanse the day's dust and grime off with a dab of Vitamin E, she'll step into the shower with a refreshing bottle of passion fruit gel and body scrub and then end her beauty regime by spraying herself with a lively body mist. The drab lethargy she walked home with is gone. Voila! She's a new woman.

The 'feel good' factor is vital in being and relishing the fact that you're a woman and it's something every woman should be able to experience. There are two things that can make every woman a queen - flattery and pampering. While flattery comes in individual doses, pampering now has become widely available with the launch of The Body Shop in Pakistan. It brings delicious products that smell as good as they look and make you feel as good as you smell, lifting all senses to a happy maximum. The brand that was once randomly available off dusty shelves at departmental stores here and there, has come to Karachi, launching its first official outlet at The Forum.

For people who are already familiar with the brand internationally, The Body Shop Pakistan lives up to all expectations. The product ranges available are new, the same as you would find in, say Dubai. The shop has been designed in the same manner as its international counterparts, the prices are decent and the feeling you experience as soon as walking in is just as elating. Bright lighting enhances a spotless interior that bursts out into colour. Whether it's the new Cassis Rose collection that brings out the deep red vibrance of roses or the Oceanus collection that refreshes with the coolness of blue, The Body Shop is about invigorating the senses. Available are scents from the perfume bar, face and body illuminating skin care products for all sorts, an array of exotic body scrubs and butters to get your skin as smooth as a baby's and basically every product conceivable from cotton buds and concealers to soaps and scrubs, from lip gloss to body mist. The Body Shop leaves no reason to go anywhere else for your monthly toilette shopping.

It's also encouraging to see the presence of a smartly dressed, helpful and trained staff - women who will guide you into buying what'll suit you best and also assist you in testing out the range of makeup, if that's what you want. The widely displayed testers make the experience better

The Body Shop franchise has been brought to Pakistan by CTC, Cosmetics Trading Company, a Dubai based organization. The plan is to take more shops to Lahore and eventually Islamabad. Though despite the fantastic response they've had in the opening week, The Body Shop will face minor challenges in Pakistan. The first is theft control, as sale reps admitted that testers had been picked up unnoticed. The second will be tackling the existence of smuggled products already available in the market. "We cannot guarantee the authenticity of Body Shop products that are selling in stores," says Tayyaba Khan, Operations Manager, "but we will be sending out legal notices to have them removed from shelves."

In the meantime, women have been flocking to the store in Karachi. After the opening of Mothercare and Lacoste amongst some other International brands, The Forum is becoming a popular destination for serious shoppers and it's a trend we thoroughly encourage. After all, shopping is not just about what you buy, but also the happy time you spend in retail therapy.

Brilliant idea!

Personally, I cant stand BS (Body Shop) - but I'm sure it'll take off really well in Pak - esp if its viewed as a 'status brand'

I like Body Shop

Body Shop is cool. Their stores always smell so nice.

So you go around sniffing their stores

more hair removal remedies can't be a bad thing ever

its ok, but lush is better.

is this the kind of store Pakistanis want to see there?