The Body Shop confirms future of Leeds stores at Briggate and White Rose Shopping Centre after administration

The British cosmetics, skin care, and perfume company appointed administrators earlier this month and announced it was looking to shut half of its 198 stores in the UK while reducing the number of employees in its head office.

The company has this morning (Thursday) confirmed that 75 stores across the country will close, including its one at the White Rose Shopping Centre in Leeds, and that 489 members of staff will be made redundant.

The company has said that the stores will close "in a phased process over the next 4-6 weeks".

The Joint Administrators will support all impacted staff with claims to the Redundancy Payments Service.

The company has confirmed that its store on Briggate will remain open though, along with 115 other stores across the country.

It says that the reduced store footprint will coincide with "a renewed focus on the brand’s products, online sales channels and wholesale strategies".

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Tony Wright, Joint Administrator, said: “In taking swift action to right-size The Body Shop UK store portfolio, we have stabilised the business and are providing the best opportunity for this iconic brand to have a long-term, sustainable future.

"The UK business continues to trade in administration, and we remain fully focused on exploring all options to take the business forward.”

The changes announced today only impact The Body Shop business in the UK.