By Mike Sheridan
Copyright expressandstar
Bodycare says its Dudley store in the Churchill Shopping Centre will shut down for good on Thursday, September 18.
The chain fell into administration at the beginning of the month, announcing plans to immediately close 32 of its 147 stores with the loss of 450 jobs, including the group’s stores in Stourbridge and Cannock.
However in an update, administrators Interpath now say “shortage of stock” and costs associated with operating its 115 remaining high street stores mean a further 30 stores are now set to close down – including the Dudley branch.
In a statement issued today, Interpath confirmed that all members of staff at affected stores would be made redundant upon closure this week.
They added that the administrators would “continue to provide all support to those impacted, including supporting them with claims to the Redundancy Payments Service.”
Nick Holloway, Managing Director at Interpath and Joint Administrator, said: “We’d like to express our sincere thanks to the hundreds of dedicated Bodycare staff who have shown such professionalism since our appointment.
“We will continue to trade the remaining 85 stores while we remain in discussions with interested parties with the aim of preserving as much of the business as possible.”
After stepping in during early September, the administrators said that “in common with a number of other bricks and mortar retailers”, the company has faced a number of challenges in recent years which had negatively impacted its financial position.
They said the retailer had suffered through rising rent and staff costs, a “delayed transition” to its online retail platform, and the cost-of-living crisis impacting its customer base. The company’s website went offline after the firm slipped into administration at the beginning of the month.
Interpath added that an aborted attempt to go public on the London Stock Exchange last year had led to a shortage of cash in the business which had “placed strain on supplier relationships”, resulting in a shortage of stock.
Administrators added that they had received interest from “a number of parties in relation to the stores”, and were working to save the remainder of the business.
