A RETAILER with two spots in the Bradford district is set to close all its stores.
Bodycare will disappear from Britain’s high streets after administrators announced the closure of its remaining 56 locations, resulting in around 450 redundancies.
The final round of closures is expected to happen by Saturday, and will result in all 444 employees working across the shops being made redundant.
Bodycare spots in Bradford and Keighley
The news comes as the retailer was getting prepared to move its Bradford city centre store from the Kirkgate Shopping Centre, where it had been based for years, to The Broadway.
In July, Ian Ward, general manager at The Broadway, said: “The new store will be located on Petergate Mall, situated next to Footasylum.
“This strategic relocation underscores Bodycare’s commitment to enhancing the shopping experience for its customers, offering more convenience and a fresh new environment to explore their favourite health and beauty essentials.”
The Telegraph & Argus has approached the Broadway for a comment.
Bodycare also has stores in Keighley’s Airedale Centre on Cooke Street, the Woolshops Shopping Centre in Halifax, and Leeds’ St Johns Centre.
What happened to Bodycare?
The high street beauty retailer collapsed into administration earlier this month and has not been able to secure a buyer for its chain of stores in the UK.
Administrators at advisory firm Interpath said this meant it had made the difficult decision to close them down.
Bodycare was founded in 1970 in Lancashire and sold beauty products, fragrances and other bathroom items.
Its stores were based in shopping centres and high streets in towns and cities across the UK.
About 150 shops will have been shut since it went into administration, with more than 1,000 staff losing their jobs.
Interpath said there was still the possibility that it could find a buyer for the Bodycare brand.
‘A difficult period’
Nick Holloway, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator, said: “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.
“We will continue to explore options for the company’s assets, including the Bodycare brand, and will provide further updates in due course.”
Rising costs and shortfall in funding
Bodycare appointed Interpath on September 5, saying it had come under pressure from rising costs and a shortfall in funding, which also affected supplier relationships and led to stock shortages.
Its demise marks the latest blow to Britain’s high streets, after a number of retail chains have gone bust or scrambled to find a buyer to stay afloat.
Interpath hopes to secure a deal for accessories chain Claire’s after being appointed as administrators for its UK and Ireland business last month.
Discount retail chain Poundland closed a swathe of shops after being taken over by investment firm Gordon Brothers.
