Bodycare to shut another 30 stores

The closures at the failed Bodycare chain aren’t over. Only shortly after it closed 32 of its 147 stores, the business is now closing a further 30 with the loss of 235 jobs. That means 685 jobs have gone so far since the collapse a few weeks ago.

A spokesperson for the administrators said that there had been “interest from a number of parties” regarding the remaining 85 stores that it’s hoped will continue to trade under new owners.

Of the new list of UK-wide stores set for closure, 14 will happen as soon as 16 September with the rest to shut on Thursday.

“Unfortunately, given the shortage of stock and costs associated with operating stores, it is no longer viable to continue to trade all 115 stores retained on appointment,” the spokesperson said.

In late August, it had emerged that the business was on the verge of collapse and was seeking a buyer to try to avoid administration. But as is so often the case in such situations, a business like that is much more attractive post-administration given that the filing will have allowed it to shed jobs and exit store lease such more easily than as a going concern.

The chain’s problems were recently cited by Warpaint London as one of the issues that led to its own profit warning.

Until its administration, Bodycare was run by former Beales chief Tony Brown and was owned by Baaj Capital. The company had enjoyed a long and successful history but the pandemic was a major blow from which it hadn’t properly recovered even as UK retail opened back up.