Uncertain future for The Body Shop in Harrogate as struggling iconic brand appoints administrators

One of nearly 200 Body Shops in Britain, the Harrogate branch was one of the earliest arrivals at Victoria Shopping Centre when it opened in 1992.

At the moment, all of the retailer's shops remain open while efforts are made to try to save the ethically-minded global beauty brand launched by the late Dame Anita Roddick in 1976 from a single shop in Brighton.

Restructuring firm FRP, which has been named as the administrator, is considering all options to secure the business which was was bought by private equity firm Aurelius in November for £207 million.

Retail experts say it is highly unlikely that The Body Shop, which became a lifestyle choice for a generation after it pioneered ethical trading and came out against testing beauty products on animals, will disappear completely.

But the high street chain’s long-term failure to compete with Rituals and Lush and poorer than expected sales figures over the Christmas period means administrators are expected to cut costs substantially on property and rents across The Body Shop portfolio.

Whether the Body Shop’s future is as bleak as one national newspaper’s prediction that up to 100 stores across UK may now be facing closure, some level of job cuts seem an inevitability.

The Body Shop has had three different owners since it was sold by its founder in 2006.