Bodycare has partnered with PMC to deliver the technology infrastructure behind its ambitious return to the UK High Street, supporting plans for an AI-first retail estate and a nationwide store expansion programme.
The health and beauty retailer, which was acquired out of administration by a retail investment group in October 2025, plans to open 25 stores during 2026 and grow to 200 locations over the next five years.
Central to that strategy is Bodycare’s ambition to become an AI-first retailer. The company plans to run store operations through a proprietary platform that uses data from across the retail environment to support decision-making and colleague actions. Information gathered from task management systems, CCTV, point of sale technology, in-store networks and digital shelf solutions will be used to power AI-driven operations.
Alongside its technology ambitions, Bodycare is positioning its future stores as community-focused destinations. Each location is expected to feature a dedicated content creation studio, enabling staff, customers and local creators to generate hyper-local content. That content will then be displayed across digital screens throughout stores, helping to create a more localised and engaging customer experience.
To support the rollout, PMC will design and implement the retailer’s technology architecture, including store networks, security, facilities management systems, core IT infrastructure and digital in-store technology.
David Stern, Managing Director at Bodycare, said:
“Store experience, digital presence and community engagement – all underpinned by AI intelligence – will be central to Bodycare’s new vision as we prepare to welcome customers back. PMC is not just a transformation partner that we can trust with delivery – their trusted experience is helping us re-imagine, design and create the AI-led strategy to bring our vision for Bodycare 2.0 to life.”
PMC will also provide point of sale capabilities through its Graphene Engage platform, supporting checkout, mobile POS and self-service kiosk experiences. In addition, its Connect integration platform will act as an orchestration layer, enabling data to flow between store systems and Bodycare’s central AI engine.
Elliott Winskill, Technology & Solutions Director at PMC, said:
“We’re taking Bodycare’s bold vision of AI-led but community-driven stores and connecting it with the innovation that will set them up for the future. It’s about creating the scalability and fluidity within the tech stack that gives Bodycare customers the opportunity to interact – whether socially, through community-created content or by making purchases – at each stage of the in-store experience.”
Bodycare plans to open six stores by July 2026, including locations in Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Derby, and is targeting a total of 50 stores by the end of next year.
