National health and beauty chain in Northampton town centre launches ‘everything must go’ sale as ‘store closing’

Bodycare, located in Abington Street, had noticeably reduced stock levels on the shelves in the weeks leading up to entering administration last Friday September 5.

Founded in 1970 on a market stall in Lancashire, Bodycare sells branded health and beauty products, as well as fragrances and bathroom consumables.

The company traded from 147 stores across the UK and employed 1,500 people, before the closure of 32 stores and redundancy for 450 employees with immediate effect last week.

A release issued by administrators Interpath on September 5 stated: “In common with a number of other bricks and mortar retailers, the company has faced a number of challenges in recent years which have negatively impacted its financial position.

“This included rising costs, including rent and people costs, a delayed transition to its online retail platform, and the cost-of-living crisis impacting its customer base.

“In addition, a planned IPO in 2024 was aborted which led to a shortfall in funding. This, in turn, placed strain on supplier relationships, resulting in a shortage of stock.”

An IPO is an Initial Public Offering, in which a private company sells shares of its stock to the public for the first time – making it a public company.

The statement also outlined that the three joint administrators intended to continue trading Bodycare’s 115 remaining stores while they assess options, including exploring the possibility of a sale of the business and its assets.

It was confirmed that these shops would remain open and operational as usual, and this included Northampton’s store which was not among the 32 immediate closures.

Though the above statement was only released one week ago, it is unknown as to why the Abington Street store’s windows now feature two unmissable signs stating “store closing” and “everything must go”. There is at least 20 percent off the original price of all the products left on the shelves.