A major high street retailer has fallen into administration with 32 stores and 450 jobs to be axed.
Bodycare has appointed administrators to address the company's business woes, with the store closures and job losses to come into effect immediately.
It should be noted the rest of Bodycare's stores will continue to trade under the retailer's name with the administrators to examine options for the business's future.
Nick Holloway, Chris Pole and Mike Leeds from Interpath were appointed joint administrators to G.R. & M.M. Blackledge plc, which trade as Bodycare, earlier today today.
A major retailer is shutting down stores
| PANick Holloway, the managing director at Interpath and joint administrator, said: "These remain challenging times for high street retailers as rising costs and reduced consumer spending continue to weigh heavily on trading.
"Unfortunately for Bodycare, which was also contending with a significant funding gap and increasing creditor pressure, these challenges proved too difficult to overcome."
"Our intention is to trade the majority of the company’s stores in order to realise stock while we explore options for a possible sale of the business and its assets.
"In addition, and as a matter of priority, we will be providing all support to those employees impacted by redundancy, including supporting them in making claims to the Redundancy Payments Service."
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Britain's high streets have been hit by a wave of store and restaurant chain closures | PAHere is a full list of the Bodycare stores closing down as a result of this administration:
Beverley
Cameron Toll
Cannock
Clydebank
Cramlington
Croydon
Darwen
Dumfries
Edinburgh
Erdington
Falkirk
Hemel Hempstead
Kirkcaldy
Loughborough
Lytham St Annes
Macclesfield
Maidstone
Morecambe
Newport
Northfield
Paisley
Parkhead
Perth
Port Talbot
Rhyl
Royton
Scunthorpe
Stourbridge
Tamworth
West Bromwich
Wood Green
Wrexham.
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In 2970, Bodycare was founded in Lancashire and is well known for selling branded health and beauty products.
Currently, the company trades across 147 stores across Britain and hires about 1,500 people.
Administrators claim the business 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 plaform.
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As a consequence of this, Bodycare was forced to deal with a strained relationship between suppliers, impacting stock.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has came under fire from the private sector over her tax policies, which were unveiled in last year's Autumn Budget.
In April 2025, the rate employers paid in National Insurance contributions were raised, as well as the National Living Wage.