Bodycare to close all 56 stores, 444 jobs to go as administration ends high-street chain

Bodycare, a long-running high-street health and beauty retailer, said on Thursday it will close all 56 of its remaining stores, resulting in about 444 redundancies. The closures come after the company collapsed into administration earlier this month and failed to secure a buyer for its UK stores.

Interpath Advisory, the administrator appointed to Bodycare, said the closures will bring the total number of job losses since the administration began to well over 1,000, with around 150 stores having already shut. The chain, which once employed about 1,500 people, has struggled to stem losses as it sought a rescue plan amid mounting costs and a delayed shift to online retail.

Bodycare was founded in Lancashire in 1970 by Graham and Margaret Blackledge. It is currently owned by Baaj Capital, a family-run investment firm led by Jas Singh. Singh had obtained a £7 million loan secured by the chain’s stock, but efforts to stabilise the business failed to secure long-term funding. The group had been pursuing a rescue deal to preserve the chain and its jobs, but those efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. In the years leading up to the pandemic, Bodycare was profitable, but it has since incurred heavy losses despite receiving government support. A planned initial public offering in 2024 was abandoned, leaving the company with insufficient funding and strained supplier relationships that contributed to stock shortages.

Remaining Bodycare stores are set to close by this Saturday, a development that will affect communities across the country. The list of towns includes Ashton-Under-Lyne, Banbury, Barnsley, Barrow, Bedford, Blackburn, Blackpool, and many more across England, Scotland and Wales, underscoring the breadth of the impact on high-street shopping. Shoppers attempting to access Bodycare’s website have encountered a message saying the shop is closed while the process unfolds.

"We understand this has been a difficult period and so we want to further express our sincere thanks to Bodycare’s staff who, since day one of the administration, have maintained the strong standards of presentation and customer service that Bodycare was renowned for," said Nick Holloway, Interpath’s managing director. "We will continue to explore options for the company’s assets, including the Bodycare brand, and will provide further updates in due course."

Tony Brown, a veteran retailer who has run Bodycare, previously of BHS and Beales, steered the business prior to administration but could not secure a viable path forward. The administration follows a broader wave of pressure on UK high-street chains facing rising rents, higher wage costs and a cost-of-living squeeze, factors that have hit discretionary retailers and complicated financing arrangements. In recent years other chains, including River Island and Poundland, have also pursued restructuring routes in an effort to survive.

Administrators noted that Bodycare faced multiple challenges in recent years, including rising operating costs, including rent and people costs, a delayed transition to online shopping, and the effect of the cost-of-living crisis on its customer base. The shortfall in funding, compounded by the aborted IPO, placed significant strain on supplier relationships and contributed to stock shortages as creditor pressure mounted. While the directors pursued remedies, the decision to file for administration was taken as the most viable option to protect remaining value.

The company’s assets—ranging from its brand to its remaining store portfolio—will be evaluated as part of the administration process. Interpath said it would keep stakeholders informed as liquidity and potential buyers or licensing arrangements are assessed. The broader market context remains challenging for bricks-and-mortar retailers, with many shoppers shifting to online channels and a tightening retail environment continuing to test traditional high-street brands.

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