BEAUTY and skincare company The Body Shop is set to bring in administrators as soon as next week, according to reports.
Amid the move, staff in Scotland have said they have been "kept in the dark" over their future.
Private equity firm Aurelius took over the retailer in November in a deal worth around £207 million. A significant number of jobs are now at risk.
Sky News have reported administrators FRP are being considered to handle an insolvency process for the UK arm of The Body Shop. It is understood the international branch of the business is not impacted.
Sources told media that administrators were “ultimately likely to consider closing a significant chunk of The Body Shop’s UK outlets, although they stressed that it was premature to speculate on specific numbers”.
In Scotland, staff spoke to local media about their worries and said they "had no idea what is happening" with stores in Aberdeen and Inverness.
One source told The Press and Journal: “Shop staff heard the news about The Body Shop from other colleagues.
“We had no idea what is happening with the closure of shops.
“It is a real shame that no one has talked to the staff. There are hardworking dedicated workers in our stores, and we deserve to know before everyone else.”
They added: “It is a very worrying time. No, staff have not been told anything.”
Another added: “Everything is speculation at the moment, nothing is closing at the moment.”
The outlet's businesses across most of Europe and parts of Asia have been sold to an unnamed family office.
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In a statement at the time of the sale in November, The Body Shop said: "The Body Shop will also focus on more effectively reaching customers by strengthening digital platforms, developing new sales channels, and via differentiated retail experiences.
"The announced sale is another decisive step towards delivering a strong turnaround strategy for The Body Shop, supported by the right structure.
"The ambition is to create a modern and dynamic beauty brand, relevant to customers and able to compete for the long term."
About 10,000 people are currently employed by the company and roughly 3000 stores are in operation in 70 countries.
Aurelius and The Body Shop declined to comment.
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