The Body Shop returns to Christchurch under local franchise

The Body Shop is returning to Christchurch with a store reopening at Westfield Riccarton, extending its New Zealand comeback under locally owned franchise Version3. The move follows a Richmond store opening and an online relaunch after the previous New Zealand operation went into liquidation in April 2025.

Riccarton marks the next step

The Press reported on 1 November 2026 that the ethical beauty brand would reopen at the Christchurch shopping centre that week. Its report cited the NZ Herald as saying the store would open on Thursday, while Westfield Riccarton’s website described the opening as coming soon and the business as New Zealand owned and operated.

Behind the return are Nelson-based Pamela Bonira and Khan Wyman, who relaunched The Body Shop in New Zealand through Version3. Their first reported physical step was a new store in Richmond, near Nelson, which opened in November 2025 alongside the brand’s return to online retail.

The Christchurch reopening therefore takes the locally owned franchise beyond its Richmond base. It also restores a physical presence in the city for a brand whose previous national operation closed its shops following financial difficulties.

Wyman told the NZ Herald that the Richmond store was trading well, according to The Press. He described the move into Christchurch as a step up. That is an owner’s assessment of the business rather than a published financial result, but it provides context for the decision to take the brand into Westfield Riccarton.

A return after the 2025 liquidation

The reopening follows a significant interruption to The Body Shop’s New Zealand business. The previous operation was caught up in the financial troubles of the UK business and entered liquidation in April 2025.

Sixteen shops closed, with about 70 jobs lost. The Press reported that attempts to secure a local sale failed, and that the liquidation involved liabilities of about NZ$12 million.

Those figures describe the former operation and the scale of its closure. They should not be read as figures for Version3, which is the new locally owned franchise behind the relaunch.

That distinction matters when describing the comeback. The brand name is returning to Christchurch, but the reported ownership arrangement is different from the operation that went into liquidation. The current story is about Bonira and Wyman rebuilding a retail presence through their franchise, rather than the former business simply resuming trade.

The sequence is clear: the national shop closures came in 2025, Richmond opened in November that year, and the Christchurch return was announced a year later.

Local ownership behind an international brand

For New Zealand’s franchise community, the notable feature is the locally owned structure supporting the return of an established international name. Version3 has combined a physical shop with an online retail presence and is now adding the Christchurch location.

The Riccarton opening is a specific, identifiable expansion. It does not, on its own, establish a timetable for recreating the previous 16-shop network. Nor should the former network’s size be treated as a target for the new owners.

The two locations also give the comeback a South Island focus: Richmond provided the starting point, with Christchurch the next reported move. For customers in Christchurch, the practical change is the return of an in-person shopping option at Westfield Riccarton.

What prospective franchise owners can take away

The Body Shop’s return illustrates why a familiar brand and its current operating business need to be considered separately. Brand recognition may remain through a closure and relaunch, while ownership, financial history and the route back to customers can change.

Anyone assessing a franchise opportunity should distinguish historical network figures from the current operator’s performance and verify which entity holds the business and its obligations. An owner’s positive trading assessment is useful context, but it is not a substitute for financial due diligence.

Practical takeaway: Look beyond the returning brand name: confirm the current ownership, examine the operating figures and assess each proposed location on its own merits.