By Anna Wise
Copyright dailyrecord
Scots are all too familiar with closure signs emblazoned across many high street shops these days. And the next store to shutter for good is Bodycare, the high street beauty retailer with 17 walk-in stores in Scotland. Bodycare will vanish from the UK’s high streets after administrators announced the closure of its remaining 56 shops, resulting in around 450 redundancies. The chain collapsed into administration earlier this month and has not been able to secure a buyer for its chain of stores in the UK. The retailer has already turned the key on multiple stores across Scotland including branches in Edinburgh, Cameron Toll, Greenock, East Kilbride , Dunfermline, Clydebank, Dumfries, and Falkirk to name just a few. The final round of closures is expected to happen by Saturday, September 27 and will result in all 444 employees working across the shops being made redundant. The remaining Scottish stores closing by Saturday are Braehead, Dundee, Irvine, and Livingstone. It means about 150 shops shut since the retailer went into administration, with more than 1,000 staff losing their jobs. Administrators at advisory firm Interpath said it could still find a buyer for the Bodycare brand. Nick Holloway, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator, said: “We understand this has been a difficult period and we 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.” 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 also hopes to secure a deal for accessories chain Claire’s after being appointed as administrators for its UK and Ireland business last month. 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. The Scottish high street has suffered serious blows this year. Rising rent costs and higher national insurance contributions some of the reasons we have lost many big names. From Poundland and The Original Factory Shop to B&M and River Island, the list of closures seems to be growing.
