The Body Shop to close seven stores immediately – see the full list
THE BODY Shop has announced almost half of its portfolio of 198 stores will close after it fell into administration.
The health and beauty retailer has confirmed to The Sun seven branches will close with immediate effect.
Meanwhile, almost half of its 198 UK stores will close for good in a major blow for shoppers.
The seven stores that will close with immediate effect include sites in Surrey Quays and Oxford Street, London.
Meanwhile, shops in Nuneaton, Ashford and Bristol will welcome in customers for the final time in just hours.
The full list of stores set to close is:
Read more in Money
- Surrey Quays, London
- Oxford Street Bond Street, London
- Canary Wharf, London
- Cheapside, London
- Nuneaton, Warwickshire
- Ashford Town, Kent
- Bristol Queens Road
The Body Shop said the closures came after reduced footfall to it stores while it has plans to turn its attentions more to online sales.
It comes following the sales of its business arms in Europe and parts of Asia.
The retailer said it would also be looking at reducing its Head Office headcount, with the number of workers set to fall by 40% to over 400 employees.
Meanwhile, the newly-unveiled Body Shop Ambassador programme will close after replacing The Body Shop at Home.
The Body Shop at Home service will close for thousands of consultants on February 23.
The Body Shop fell into administration just last week, putting its almost 200 stores at risk of closure.
At the time, administrators FRP said the move to place the retailer in administration “provides the stability, flexibility and security to find the best means of securing the future” of the chain.
They said: “The joint administrators will now consider all options to find a way forward for the business and will update creditors and employees in due course.”
The health and beauty retailer was bought by private equity firm Aurelius last November in a deal worth £207million.
But at the time of the move, it said it was looking to shift its focus away from the UK market and towards South America.
The Body Shop was founded by Anita Roddick and her husband Gordon in Brighton in 1976.
It aimed to set itself apart from other beauty retailers by focusing on ethically sourced and naturally-based ingredients.
The brand joined the L'Oreal group in 2006, before being bought by Natura and Co in 2017.
The Sun has taken a deep dive into what went wrong at the beloved chain.
It comes as a number of other retailers struggle amid surging energy costs and as consumers turn to online shopping.
A number of retailers have crashed into administration last year, including Cath Kidston, Paperchase and major discounter Wilko.
But Wilko has since returned to the high street under The Range's ownership, and Wilko branded items are being stocked in The Range stores.
Wilko's fall was the biggest British retail collapse since McColl's plunged into administration in May last year.
But the cornershop chain was saved from closure after Morrisons swooped in to protect 16,000 jobs.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Paperchase collapsed into administration at the end of January last year year and all 106 stores closed for good.