Bodycare to shut remaining stores with loss of 444 jobs

All remaining Bodycare stores are to shut with the loss of 444 jobs.

Administrators said the business was "no longer viable to continue" trading and a sale of the stores was "now unlikely".

As a result the chain's remaining 56 stores will shut, the administrators said, with the closures expected to take place by this Saturday.

A spokesperson for the administrators said the company would "continue to provide all support to those impacted".

Nick Holloway, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator, said they would "continue to explore options for the Company's assets, including the Bodycare brand, and will provide further updates in due course".

Bodycare was founded in Lancashire in 1970. Its store layouts were known for their bright lighting and window displays that often feature piles of toilet tissue or pyramids of washing up powder.

It also offered warehouse-style display shelves packed with goods such as lip balm, perfume, false nails and foot cream.