The Body Shop is bringing its head offices to the city where its first shop opened.

The beauty store announced it will be relocating its head office to Brighton after being saved from administration in September.

It comes almost 50 years after it opened its first shop in Brighton's Kensington Gardens and the company has called the return a “significant cultural reset”.

Under the new plans, The Body Shop will move its two previous offices, in Littlehampton and London, to the new Plus X development in Moulsecoomb’s Lewes Road.

Hove and Portslade MP Peter Kyle started his career working at The Body Shop and was mentored by its founder Dame Anita Roddick.

He said: “I’m thrilled The Body Shop has chosen Brighton as the new location for its head office.

The Body Shop in Kensington Gardens in 1976The Body Shop in Kensington Gardens in 1976

“I began my career at this iconic brand, and many will have heard me speak about the professional and personal growth I achieved here.

“I can’t wait to witness this next stage in The Body Shop’s journey and the positive impact and jobs this innovative global retailer will bring to the local area and communities.”

Founded by Dame Anita Roddick in 1976, The Body Shop has deep roots in Brighton and Sussex but has expanded globally in the near half-century since its first store opened in Kensington Gardens.

The high street retailer had fallen on hard times in recent months, announcing it would be going into administration in early February.

But The Body Shop was saved by British tycoon Mike Jatania with the new business headed by Charles Denton, former chief executive of Molton Brown.

Mr Denton, now chief executive of The Body Shop, said: “As we work to rebuild and reimagine the future of our brand, it’s essential we foster an innovative and collaborative culture to make this next stage in the journey possible.

“Returning to Brighton reinforces the values upon which we were built, it’s a city that celebrates diversity and creativity, oozing irreverence and new ways of thinking stimulated by a vibrant youth culture.”

Sian Berry, MP for Brighton Pavilion where the new Plus X development is based, added she was looking forward to visiting the new offices for the business which “was founded with values that align very closely with my own and that of our city”.

Dame Anita, who was born in Littlehampton, sold the business to L'Oréal in 2006 for £652 million, but they attracted criticism for their links to animal testing.

She died the following year in Chichester at the age of 64 after suffering from a brain haemorrhage.

The Body Shop is already occupying a self-contained office within the Plus X building, with plans afoot to expand further and with an option to add more space as their workforce increases, in time hopefully bringing more job opportunities to Brighton and its surrounding areas.

The Body Shop has one store in Brighton, in North Street as well as five other stores across Sussex, in Worthing, Horsham, Eastbourne, Crawley and Chichester.

The Plus X Innovation building (Image: Plus X) Olga Hopton, Workspace Director at Plus X Innovation said: “We are delighted to welcome The Body Shop to our innovation hub, home to a growing community of innovative and creative businesses. Our hub houses a state-of-the-art prototyping workshop and a fully equipped photography and podcast studio, supporting The Body Shop’s plans to drive forwards through collaboration and an innovation mindset. We are so pleased to have a new tenant with such closely aligned values and a shared circular and sustainable business model.”