The health and beauty chain collapsed into administration in September last year, forcing around 150 stores to close and 1,000 staff to lose their jobs.
They were rescued by former Body Shop CEO Molton Brown in October and it has now been confirmed that they will return to the high street.
Real estate advisory firm Newmark revealed they’ve secured leases for six new shops in Dudley, Derby, Leeds, Sheffield, Blackburn and Leicester.
UK High Street Shops That No Longer Exist
They added that an additional 19 stores are planned to open by the end of 2026, with long-term plans to reach 200 stores nationwide.
They are said to be opening under a new ‘Bodycare Studio’ format where customers can enjoy in-store demonstration areas, ‘creator spaces’ and feature screens.
Bodycare’s managing director David Stern said: “Since the acquisition of Bodycare, the team has reimagined both the in-store experience and the brand’s digital presence.
“The response from the industry to date has reinforced our confidence to scale quickly and we are looking forward to welcoming customers back as soon as possible.
“Newmark has been instrumental in supporting us in our ambitious vision.”
Newmark’s executive managing director David Purslow said: “Bodycare is executing a compelling retail strategy by moving at pace but with clear direction and a disciplined approach which sets it up for success.
“Our priority is to ensure the property strategy underpins the brand’s momentum as it scales nationally.”
What happens when a company goes into administration?
Put simply, when a company enters administration, it means that it is unable to pay expenses, debts, or other liabilities, according to SquareUp.com.
Companies House adds: “When a company goes into administration, they have entered a legal process (under the Insolvency Act 1986) with the aim of achieving one of the statutory objectives of an administration. This may be to rescue a viable business that is insolvent due to cashflow problems.
“An appointment of an administrator (a licensed insolvency practitioner) will be made by directors, a creditor or the court to fulfil the administration process.”
A statutory moratorium is put in place once a company enters administration, giving it “breathing space” to allow for financial restructuring plans to be drawn up free from creditor enforcement actions.
A company can continue to trade while in administration, but daily management and control is handed over to the administrators.
Companies House continues: “Within 8 weeks it is the administrators’ role to formulate administration proposals.
“Creditors are then asked to vote by a decision procedure to approve the administrators’ proposals.
“If the administration involves a sale of all or part of the company’s business, the proceeds (after the costs of the procedure) will be distributed to creditors in a statutory order of priority.”
Administration will end automatically after 12 months unless the administrator asks the court or creditors for an extension.
Through administration, a company can be:
- Rescued and passed back to the directors
- Enter liquidation
- Be dissolved
Other UK companies that have closed or entered administration/liquidation in 2026 (so far)
It has been a rough start to 2026 for the UK high street, with several retailers entering administration and others announcing widespread store closures.
Major high street retailers, including River Island, Primark, and Poundland, have already been forced to close stores in 2026, while Revolution and BrewDog have shut the doors to 21 and 38 pubs, respectively.
Several other retailers have fallen into administration recently, including:
Meanwhile, four UK travel companies have closed in the opening weeks of 2026:
EcoJet Airlines, billed as “the world’s first Electric Airline”, has also entered liquidation after just three years, resulting in the cancellation of all planned flights.
What has a nose, wings and runs off of hydrogen? Ecojet 😎 pic.twitter.com/y8QGiBdFe2
— ecotricity (@ecotricity) July 17, 2023
UK delivery company Yodel is set to be phased out over the coming months after being acquired by InPost.
Tesco also recently revealed plans to cut 380 jobs in stores across the UK, while it’s been reported that Morrisons is looking to sell some of its in-store pharmacies as it continues to cut costs.
It’s not been all bad news for the UK high street, with several major brands announcing new store openings for 2026, including Aldi, M&S, and Superdrug.
