Hundreds of jobs at risk as retailer Bodycare braces for administration

More than a 1000 precocious thoroughfare jobs volition beryllium enactment astatine hazard this week erstwhile Bodycare, the wellness and quality retailer, is forced to telephone successful administrators.

Sky News has learnt that Bodycare, which was founded connected a Lancashire marketplace stall much than fractional a period ago, is expected to name administrators from Interpath Advisory arsenic soon arsenic Friday.

Bodycare, which specialises successful selling fragrances, toiletries, cosmetics and skincare products, employs astir 1,500 radical and trades from astir 150 stores crossed the country.

The chain's illness into insolvency proceedings is apt to trigger a further effort by Interpath to find a purchaser for parts of the business.

The institution is owned by Baaj Capital, a household bureau tally by Jas Singh.

Baaj, which is considered a apt campaigner to bargain Bodycare backmost from the administrators, counts In The Style among its different investments.

The steadfast besides attempted to instrumentality implicit The Original Factory Shop earlier this twelvemonth earlier its connection was trumped by Modella Capital, different specializer retail investor.

Bodycare's deepening situation comes conscionable weeks aft the retailer secured a £7m indebtedness installation to bargain it short-term breathing space.

The installation was secured against Bodycare's retail inventory, according to a connection successful July.

Bodycare was established by Graham and Margaret Blackledge successful Skelmersdale successful 1970, and sells branded products made by the likes of L'Oreal, Nivea and Elizabeth Arden.

The concatenation was profitable earlier the pandemic, but similar galore retailers mislaid millions of pounds successful the fiscal years instantly aft it hit.

Bodycare received fiscal enactment from the payer successful the signifier of a multimillion lb indebtedness issued nether 1 of the Treasury's pandemic backing schemes.

The concatenation is tally by retail seasoned Tony Brown, who held elder roles astatine BHS and Beales, the now-defunct section store groups.

Bodycare is the latest precocious thoroughfare concatenation to look illness this year, amid intensifying complaints from the manufacture astir taxation increases announced successful past autumn's Budget.

In caller weeks, River Island and Poundland some narrowly avoided medication aft winning creditor support for restructuring plans involving store closures and occupation losses.

Baaj has been contacted for comment, portion Interpath declined to comment.