Health and beauty chain Bodycare is set to return to the high street just six months after it collapsed into administration and closed all its stores.
New era: a Bodycare storefront
The retailer was acquired out of administration in October 2025 by an investment group headed by Charles Denton, former chief executive of The Body Shop.
Just one month earlier, Bodycare closed its remaining 56 stores following a drawn-out collapse that had seen its entire 147-store estate shuttered.
Bodycare is now set to make its return after signing six leases, solely advised by Newmark, at shopping centres: Merry Hill in Dudley; Derbion in Derby; The Moor in Sheffield; Highcross in Leicester; The Mall in Blackburn; and St Johns in Leeds. The sites were selected due to their strong sales performance under the brand’s previous ownership.
An additional 19 stores are planned to open by the end of 2026, with a longer-term ambition of more than 200 stores nationwide.
The first 25 stores are set to launch under a new experiential ‘Bodycare Studio’ format designed to “blend content and commerce” via in-store demonstration zones, live broadcast studios and dedicated social media creator spaces.
“Since the acquisition of Bodycare, the team has reimagined both the in-store experience and the brand’s digital presence,” said David Stern, managing director of Bodycare.
“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.”
Bodycare was founded in Lancashire in 1970. Its store layouts were formerly known for bright lighting and window displays often featuring piles of toilet paper or pyramids of washing up powder.
The brand’s new direction represents an embrace of new-age advertising via influencers and social media, inviting consumers to generate traffic and engagement to complement the brand’s own digital-first strategy.
David Purslow, executive managing director of Newmark, said: “Bodycare is executing a compelling retail strategy, moving at pace but with clear direction and a disciplined approach that sets it up for success.”
He added: “Our priority is to ensure the property strategy underpins the brand’s momentum as it scales nationally.”
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