loading . . . Bodycare to close all four of East Lancs stores as administrators cannot find buyer Bodycare has announced it will close all four of its East Lancashire stores as the chain is set to disappear from the high street.The high street beauty retailer collapsed into administration earlier this month and, after not being able to secure a buyer for its chain of stores, is set to close its remaining 56 shops, resulting in around 450 redundancies.This will include the stores in The Mall, Blackburn, in Charter Walk Shopping Centre, Burnley, in Market Street, Darwen and in Castle Street, Clitheroe.Bodycare was founded in 1970 in Preston 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 final round of closures is expected to happen by Saturday and will result in all 444 employees working across the shops being made redundant.It means about 150 shops will have been shut since it went into administration, with more than 1,000 staff losing their jobs.Interpath said there was still the possibility that it could find a buyer for the Bodycare brand.Nick Holloway, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator, said: âWe understand this has been a difficult period and so we want to further express our sincere thanks to Bodycareâs staff who, since day one of the administration, have maintained the strong standards of presentation and customer service that Bodycare was renowned for.âWe will continue to explore options for the companyâs assets, including the Bodycare brand, and will provide further updates in due course.âBodycare 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 Britainâs high streets, after a number of retail chains have gone bust or scrambled to find a buyer to stay afloat.Interpath hopes to secure a deal for accessories chain Claireâs after being appointed as administrators for its UK and Ireland business last month. http://dlvr.it/TNDLRR
