BODY Shop’s former Bournemouth town centre unit has been snatched up a month after it was closed down. 

The Commercial Road unit has been empty since March 13 following the high street skincare and cosmetics chain’s axing of shops and staff as part of the administration process. 

But now the shopfront has had a lick of white paint along with new red branding on the outside and new stock put on shelves to bring the town centre a new phone repair shop. 

Called iTech, the shop repairs damage to phones while also selling cigarettes, vapes, e-liquids, starter kits phone cases and coils.

Bournemouth Echo: iTech in Commercial Road replaces the Body Shop

The latest phone repair shop opening joins several others in the town centre, including iCrack in Old Christchurch Road at the Square end and another phone repair shop called Pocket Geek further up the road. 

Shoppers in the town centre were not impressed with the latest offering – insisting on a better variety. 

Jason Murnaghan, 57, pointed out there are enough vape and phone repair shops in the town centre, adding: “Why can’t we get more restaurants or a supermarket? 

“There’s a big fuss being made over the town centre at the moment but this is all we are getting. It’s great that it’s another empty shop being filled but it could’ve gone to something better.” 

Student Hassan added: “I don’t vape so it isn’t much use to me. I would like places that are better for students and young people. 

“Maybe a laser quest would be good.”

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Elsewhere in the town centre, other businesses are soon to be opening up such as a new Greggs where Topshop and Topman once stood and a Krispy Kreme in the old Café La Strada, also in Old Christchurch Road. 

The Body Shop fell into administration in early February after previous forecasts for how much funding it would need to keep going proved too low. 

Administrators for the Body Shop have said they are pushing for a company voluntary arrangement, which would let the business keep trading and pay off its debts over time. 

The administrators said they had won support from Aurelius, the business that bought the Body Shop less than four months ago, to push ahead with the plan. 

They said the £600,000 the Body Shop owes to employees for pay, pension contributions and holiday pay would be paid in full under the plan.  

Even if the plans for a so-called company voluntary arrangement (CVA) failed, that money should still be paid out.