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Scottish Sun
13-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Iconic British high street chain DEMOLISHES its HQ after shutting 75 shops & being pulled out of administration
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) 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. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 The headquarters of The Body Shop in Sussex is in the process of being demolished Credit: SUSSEX NEWS AND PICTURES 3 The demolition comes after the beauty brand announced it was relocating to the Plus X Innovation Hub Credit: SUSSEX NEWS AND PICTURES 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. This news came just weeks after The Body Shop was 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. Tragic Closure: Primark Store Shutdown After Fatal Incident 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.
The Irish Sun
28-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Cops who Tasered & pepper-sprayed amputee, 92, three weeks before his death are CLEARED of assault
TWO cops who pepper-sprayed and Tasered a 92-year-old amputee just weeks before his death have been cleared of assault. Bodycam footage showed Donald Burgess horror at Park Beck Residential Care Home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. 8 Donald Burgess was pepper sprayed and Tasered at a care home, jurors heard Credit: SUSSEX NEWS AND PICTURES 8 He died in hospital three weeks later from Covid Credit: PA 8 PC Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto have been cleared of assault Credit: PA PC Rachel Comotto and PC Stephen Smith were called to the residence after Donald poked a worker in the stomach with a butter knife. Smith claimed he did not know the one-legged pensioner was disabled - despite him sitting in a wheelchair - while Comotto denied she was "trigger-happy". The pair have now been found cleared of assault occasioning actual bodily harm following a trial. Southwark Crown Court heard one minute and 23 seconds elapsed between the cops arriving and Donald being Tasered. Bodycam showed him clutching a specially adapted butter knife while sat in his wheelchair when Smith and Comotto entered his room. PC Smith can be heard saying: 'Put it down mate. Come on, Donald, don't be silly. "We can solve it without having to resort to as you're told." He then "emptied all or almost all of his canister" of pepper spray in Donald's face, the court was told. Most read in The Sun The footage also showed Smith making his way towards the pensioner with his baton extended before striking him. Comotto then deploys her 50,000-volt Taser as Donald screams out in pain before the officers took the knife from him. After shooting him, PC Comotto asked Donald how he was feeling, leading him to reply: "I'm dying, I'm dying." The officers were later seen joking about the shocking incident, jurors heard. 8 Donald was first pepper sprayed by Smith Credit: SUSSEX NEWS AND PICTURES 8 Smith then got his baton out and struck Donald, who was still holding the knife Credit: SUSSEX NEWS AND PICTURES 8 The butter knife had been specially adapted for the pensioner In separate bodycam, Comotto is seen laughing and asking Smith: "Oh my God, is there any left in your can?" Smith replies: "Probably not." The court heard Donald suffered from multiple health conditions including diabetes and carotid artery disease. He was taken to hospital after the incident and died 22 days later after contracting Covid. The court was told the pair were "not responsible for his death". Police had been called to the care home on June 21, 2022, after Donald was seen poking a care worker in the stomach with a knife after flicking food at her. He threatened staff with the blade and told them he would take pleasure in murdering them. Managers wheeled him back to his room and tried for 30 minutes to calm him down before calling 999. The officers were dispatched under a grade one call, meaning it was treated as the highest level of emergency. Jurors were told the care home specialised in support for people with dementia but Donald had not been diagnosed with the disease. Prosecutor Paul Jarvis KC said it "ought to have been obvious by the fact he had one leg that this was a man who wasn't going to be mobile". He added: "This was an elderly, vulnerable man who may not have understood what was going on. "Rather than being met with understanding and sympathy, he was confronted by irritation and annoyance on the part of the defendants." But in their defence, the officers claimed Donald was clutching the knife with a "tight grip". Read more on the Irish Sun Smith also said he only realised the pensioner was in a wheelchair after he was wheeled out following the incident. He denied two counts of assault by using Pava spray and a baton, while Comotto denied one charge of assault by discharging her Taser. 8 Comotto pleaded not guilty to one charge of assault Credit: PA 8 She and Smith both stood trial at Southwark Crown Court Credit: PA
Scottish Sun
22-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Butter knife that led cops to pepper-spray and Taser tragic amputee, 92, as he sat in wheelchair is pictured
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THIS is the butter knife that led cops to pepper-spray and Taser a tragic amputee as he sat in his wheelchair, a court heard. PC Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto are accused of assaulting Donald Burgess at Park Beck Residential Care Home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Donald Burgess was clutching this knife when he was pepper-sprayed and Tasered 6 Donald Burgess was in his wheelchair when the police allegedly assaulted him Credit: SUSSEX NEWS AND PICTURES 6 He died in hospital three weeks later from Covid Credit: PA 6 PC Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto are accused of assault Credit: PA The officers had been called to the residence after the 92-year-old poked a worker in the stomach with a butter knife, jurors heard. A picture has now been released of the knife, which was specially adapted so the pensioner could eat his food. Bodycam showed Donald clutching the blade while sat in his wheelchair when Smith and Comotto entered his room. PC Smith can be heard saying: 'Put it down mate. Come on, Donald, don't be silly. "We can solve it without having to resort to as you're told." He then "emptied all or almost all of his canister" of pepper spray in Donald's face, Southwark Crown Court was told. The footage also showed Smith making his way towards the pensioner with his baton extended before striking him. Comotto then deploys her Taser as Donald screams out in pain before the officers took the knife from him. Jurors heard the pair used "unjustified and unlawful" force just 83 seconds into entering the one-legged pensioner's room. The officers were later seen joking about the shocking incident, it was said. In separate bodycam, Comotto is seen laughing and asking Smith: "Oh my God, is there any left in your can?" Smith replies: "Probably not." The court heard Donald suffered from multiple health conditions including diabetes and carotid artery disease. He was taken to hospital after the incident and died 22 days later after contracting Covid. Jurors heard police had been called to the care home on June 21, 2022, after Donald was seen poking a care worker in the stomach with a knife after flicking food at her. He allegedly threatened staff with the blade and told them he would take plasure in murdering them. Managers wheeled him back to his room and tried for 30 minutes to calm him down before calling 999. The officers were dispatched under a grade one call, meaning it was treated as the highest level of emergency. Jurors were told the care home specialised in support for people with dementia but Donald had been diagnosed with the disease. Prosecutor Paul Jarvis KC said: "I want to make it clear - these defendants are not responsible for his death. "He was an elderly gentleman who was unwell." But he added: "The force used was unnecessary and excessive in the circumstances. "The defendants assaulted Mr Burgess, causing actual bodily harm." Smith, 51, denies two counts of assault by using Pava spray and a baton, and Comotto denies one charge of assault by discharging her Taser. The trial continues. 6 Donald was first pepper sprayed by Smith Credit: Central News
