Bodycare — 150 UK beauty shops gone in three weeks

Bodycare — trading as G.R. & M.M. Blackledge plc — was founded in Lancashire in the 1970s and grew to become a fixture of the UK value health and beauty market. At its peak, the chain operated approximately 150 stores selling cosmetics, toiletries, and personal care products, primarily in small towns and suburban high streets where it competed on price and convenience.

On 5 September 2025, the company was placed into administration with Nick Holloway, Chris Pole, and Mike Leeds of Interpath Advisory appointed as joint administrators. The collapse was triggered by rising operational costs and a funding shortfall that disrupted supplier relationships, leading to chronic stock shortages from which the business could not recover. The chain employed approximately 1,500 people.

The closure unfolded in three waves: 32 stores shut immediately with 450 redundancies, followed by 30 more stores two weeks later, and finally the remaining 56 stores closed by 27 September 2025. All approximately 150 stores were closed and virtually all 1,500 employees were made redundant. Bodycare was later acquired out of administration by an investment group, though the retail chain did not continue in its original form.