Bodycare news: health, beauty chain falls into administration, is it closing down – full shop closures list
Rising costs and stock shortages forced the high street favourite into crisis 💔
- Bodycare has entered administration after years of financial struggles
- 32 stores will shut immediately, with around 450 job losses
- 115 shops remain open while administrators explore a possible sale
- Rising costs, stock shortages, and a failed IPO were key factors
- Full list of closing locations released for affected shoppers
High street shoppers looking for affordable health and beauty products will soon notice empty shelves at one particular UK retailer.
Bodycare, known for its personal care essentials, has entered administration, resulting in the immediate closure of 32 stores and putting around 450 jobs at risk.
Founded in 1970 on a Lancashire market stall, Bodycare grew to operate 147 stores nationwide, employing roughly 1,500 people. The chain became a familiar stop for customers hunting for skincare, toiletries, and health products on the high street.
Administrators Nick Holloway, Chris Pole, and Mike Leeds from Interpath have been appointed to oversee the process.
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While 115 stores will continue trading for the time being, shoppers in the affected locations will see their local Bodycare doors close permanently.
The closures come amid a perfect storm of challenges. Rising operational costs, including rent and staffing, hit the retailer hard.
Bodycare’s delayed transition to online sales limited its ability to adapt to modern consumer habits, while the ongoing cost-of-living crisis reduced discretionary spending on non-essential goods.
A planned initial public offering (IPO) in 2024 was also scrapped, leaving the company with a funding shortfall that strained supplier relationships and caused stock shortages.
These pressures ultimately proved insurmountable despite the directors’ efforts to stabilise the business.
Nick Holloway, managing director at Interpath, said: “These remain challenging times for high street retailers as rising costs and reduced consumer spending continue to weigh heavily on trading.
“For Bodycare, a significant funding gap and mounting creditor pressure made the situation untenable.”
The full list of Bodycare stores closing:
For customers, the immediate impact will be felt most sharply in the 32 locations set to close:
- Beverley, Yorkshire
- Cameron Toll, Scotland
- Cannock, Staffordshire
- Clydebank, Scotland
- Cramlington, Northumberland
- Croydon, London
- Darwen, Lancashire
- Dumfries, Scotland
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Erdington, West Midlands
- Falkirk, Scotland
- Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
- Kirkcaldy, Scotland
- Loughborough, Leicestershire
- Lytham St Annes, Lancashire
- Macclesfield, Cheshire
- Maidstone, Kent
- Morecambe, Lancashire
- Newport, Wales
- Northfield, West Midlands
- Paisley, Scotland
- Parkhead, Scotland
- Perth, Scotland
- Port Talbot, Wales
- Rhyl, Wales
- Royton, Greater Manchester
- Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire
- Stourbridge, West Midlands
- Tamworth, Staffordshire
- West Bromwich, West Midlands
- Wood Green, London
- Wrexham, Wales
Shoppers in these areas are encouraged to visit other Bodycare locations if possible, or check online for alternatives, while the high street braces for the next chapter in the retailer’s long history.
Administrators added that all other stores not listed above will remain open while they explore options, including a possible sale of the business or its assets.
Staff affected by redundancies will be supported with claims to the Redundancy Payments Service.
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