The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Body Shop branch is set to close
The Perth branch of The Body Shop is to close just weeks after the beauty retailer entered administration. The King Edward Street shop will close in the next four to six weeks.
It is one of 75 branches across the UK, including eight in Scotland, singled out for closure.
Shops in Dundee’s Murraygate and Kingsgate Centre in Dunfermline have been saved from the axe so far as administrators continue to look for a buyer for the business.
A total of 489 jobs will be lost as a result of the closures.
The move comes after the retailer announced plans to close almost half of its 198 outlets in the UK, putting more than 2,000 jobs at risk.
Seven shops were shut week in the first part of restructuring.
Joint administrator Tony Wright 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 longterm, sustainable future.
“The UK business continues to trade in administration and we last the remain fully focused on exploring all options to take the business forward.”
Dundee shoppers recently expressed their concern the branch could close.
The Courier’s high street tracker shows the changes made to Perth’s city centre units.
In recent years Argos, Debenhams and Gap have all closed. Meanwhile, the former Thorntons in George Street has been vacant for more than six years.
Royal Bank of Scotland in South Street, Perth and Kinross Credit Union in High Street and This Little Piggy in South Methven Street have all been empty for more than four years.
The number of empty units has led Perthshire Chamber of Commerce to call for a summit with the local authority and landlords.
The group said urgent action is needed to tackle the underlying issues, including the reluctance of some landlords to accept the changed environment.
It wants landlords to be flexible around letting costs and subdivision of vacant commercial units to provide smaller retail space that new independent businesses need.