Next PLC (LSE:NXT) has emerged as a potential buyer of parts of The Body Shop, after the collapse of the beauty chain.
The FTSE 100 clothing giant approached administrators of the company set up by Dame Anita Roddick about a potential deal, according to a report from Sky News at the weekend.
Last week The Body Shop confirmed that it is closing half of its stores in the UK after calling in the administrators from FRP Advisory Group PLC (AIM:FRP) the week before, with around 40% of workers at its London head office also expected to be axed.
Sources told Sky that talks between FRP and Next had "stalled".
Next has snapped up several distressed retail assets in recent years as it overhauls its online presence into a multi-brand platform.
During the last few years, boss Simon Wolfson has swooped for Cath Kidston, Made.com and Joules from administration, taken majority stakes in going concerns like Victoria's Secret and Gap’s UK arm and slowly upped holdings in firms like Reiss.
Shares in Next were down 0.5% at 8,404.4p on Monday morning, having risen around 22% over the past 12 months.