By Andrea Lambrou

Copyright dailyrecord

Lanarkshire’s only Bodycare store escaped closure after the high street beauty chain collapsed into administration. The popular discount retailer announced it is to shut eight of its Scottish stores but its East Kilbride branch was among the nine remaining shops in the country kept open as they try and find a way forward for the struggling business. A total of 32 UK stores saw 450 workers made redundant after the shops closed down immediately. The company’s administrators said retailers were facing “challenging times” with rising costs and rents and fierce competition for consumer spending. The firm, established in Lancashire in 1970, said the majority of its stores will continue to trade as normal while it explores “options” including looking for a buyer. Administrators from Interpath Advisory have been called in and their remaining 115 shops across the UK will remain open. A number of stores have launched clearance sales. Nick Holloway, 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.” *Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here . And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here .