THE ethically doctrinaire beauty products group Body Shop has latterly been forced to be more concerned with its business profile than searching for cruelty-free beauty potions in the world's rain forests. Husband-and-wife team of Gordon and Anita Roddick, founders and motivators, have considered taking the group back into private hands.

The Roddicks, who personally own 25 per cent of equity, would ideally like to purchase majority control. But this week they admitted that the sums do not add up as the ensuing debt would cripple group development. The market considers that the Roddicks would have to pay around 165p a share, a significant premium on the 146p market value.

Shareholders are aggrieved at the paucity of the return on their investment with profits covering dividends by nearly five times.

Having grudgingly accepted that it must coexist with unsympathetic institutional investors the board hints at a more generous dividend policy, saying that the group is "committed to deliver shareholder value".