Iconic British high street chain DEMOLISHES its HQ after shutting 75 shops & being pulled out of administration
A MAJOR British chain has demolished its headquarters over a year after going into administration.
The brand also closed 75 locations and cut 800 jobs as part of the process.
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However, now The Body Shop has been saved from administration and is even said to be making a comeback with shoppers.
More than half of the brand's Sussex headquarters have been knocked down by contractors.
Earlier this year, plans were submitted to the local council to demolish and replace the building.
This came after The Body Shop announced in October 2024 that it was relocating its headquarters.
The headquarters for the high street brand is now located in the Plus X Innovation Hub near the University of Brighton.
saved from administration in September 2024.
According to The Argus, two of sculptures were stolen from the site during the demolition.
The outlet reported on the alleged theft after resident Body Shop sculptor Giles Penny spoke out about his artwork going missing.
He shared his hope that the remaining art at the site can be revitalised and reused for a tribute to The Body Shop founder Anita Roddick.
The Body Shop has deep roots in Brighton and Sussex before expanding globally since its first store opened in Kensington Gardens in 1976.
Since then the business has undergone a whirlwind few decades before going into administration last year.
The announcement shocked fans of the company, which was reportedbto be worth £207 million in 2023.
Now back with a bang, the sustainable beauty brand plans to keep all remaining 113 stores open.
The Body Shop even cashed in a healthy £2 million in profit during its first three months with Auréa since being saved from administration.
As part of the company's new chapter, they have even released a new range of products.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: "The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025."
It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024.
End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker.
It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date.
This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023.
It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns.
The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker.
Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations.
Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.
Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
"By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer's household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020."
It recenelty dropped two exciting limited-edition product collections the cosy, warming Tender Tonka, and the zingy, summery Refreshing Passionfruit.
The Tender Tonka range includes frangrances and a body cream.
Meanwhile, the Refreshing Passionfruit range features shower gel, body yogurt, body scrub, and body mist.
For a full breakdown of The Body Shop's new collection, check out our product round-up.
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