The Body Shop to close almost half of its UK stores

(EFE) The cosmetics chain The Body Shopwhich entered bankruptcy this month, will close almost half of its 198 stores in the United Kingdom and will cut about 270 jobs at its headquarters, according to its managers, FRP.

The Body Shop It employs around 2,200 people in the United Kingdom, of which 750 are at its headquarters.

Of the stores that will close immediately, four are in London, where rents are higher, but also in the English cities of Nuneaton, Ashford and Bristol.

The other stores and the digital page will continue to operate normally while the restructuring process continues.

The company was created in the late 70s by businesswoman Anita Roddick.who opened his first business in the town of Brighton, in the south of England.

When it went into bankruptcy last week, the administrators said that this situation provided “stability, flexibility and security to find the best means to secure the future” of the chain.

The chain’s difficult situation became known after the new owners, the European private equity firm Aurelius, took control of the business.

The Body Shop – which Roddick had originally sold in 2006 to L’Oreal – has faced many financial challenges, coinciding with a difficult trading environment for the retail sector.

The success of the chain – created in 1976 – turned it into a global brand, a pioneer in ethical commerce and a position against testing cosmetic products on animals.