The Body Shop has announced the closure of 75 stores in the UK over the coming weeks, resulting in 489 job losses. Combined with cost-cutting measures at its head office, between 750 and 800 employees will be made redundant.
The UK arm of the global beauty chain was placed into administration earlier this month. FRP Advisory, the firm overseeing the restructuring, stated that closures will occur over the next four to six weeks and that it will support affected staff with claims to the Redundancy Payments Service.
Tony Wright of FRP Advisory said: 'In taking swift action to right-size The Body Shop UK store portfolio, we have stabilised the business. We remain fully focused on exploring all options to take the business forward.' Administrators are seeking to salvage the company, having previously announced that up to half of its stores would close.
The Body Shop was founded in Brighton in 1976 by the late Dame Anita Roddick. Known for its natural beauty products and stance against animal testing, it expanded rapidly. In 2006, Dame Anita and her husband Gordon sold the business to French beauty giant L'Oreal, a move that disappointed some loyal customers.
Since then, The Body Shop has changed hands twice, most recently to private equity firm Aurelius in late 2023. Within weeks, Aurelius placed the UK arm in administration following poor sales over Christmas and January. The brand, wildly popular in the 1980s and 1990s, has faced increased competition from rivals such as Lush and Rituals.
