UK administrations update: April 2 – 9

Since our last update, the following businesses have been confirmed as having fallen into administration. All dates indicate when the administration was posted by the Gazette and not necessarily the dates on which administrators were appointed.

S & J European Haulage Limited – April 2
S & J European Haulage Limited, a Leicestershire-based haulage company, fell into administration last month after filing two notices of intention (NOI) to appoint administrators over the preceding weeks.

The company, headquartered at Melton Mowbray’s Asfordby Business Park, appointed Robert Croxen and John Noon of Alvarez & Marshal as joint administrators. The company, which is a member of the Palletline network, saw its pre-tax profits fell considerably from £356,038 in 2021 to £245,737 in 2022, citing the ongoing impact of COVID, Brexit and inflationary cost pressures.

At the time of those accounts, the company’s fixed assets were valued at £3.9 million and current assets at £3.6 million. The company’s debts left it with net assets totalling around £1.25 million.

Find out more about the company’s collapse here

R & S Laser Cutting & Fabrications Limited – April 2
R & S Laser Cutting & Fabrications Limited, a steel manufacturer based in Birmingham, fell into administration towards the end of March, having filed a NOI the previous month. Yiannis Koumettou and Constantinos Pedhiou of Begbies Traynor were appointed as joint administrators of the company, which was founded in 1996.

In its accounts for 2023, the company reported a loss of around £419,000, although this was down from approximately £494,000 a year earlier. At the time, the company’s current liabilities amounted to more than £1 million.

Read more about the trends that could shape manufacturing M&A

TDA Interiors South Limited – April 3
TDA Interiors South Limited, a London-based designer and builder of office interiors, fell into administration in late March, with the Gazette confirming the appointment of Avner Radomsky and Michael Goldstein of RG Insolvency last week.

In its accounts for the year to June 30 2022, the company’s total assets were valued at around £3.2 million, with net assets amounting to £624,540.

Radbourne Construction Limited – April 3
Radbourne Construction Limited, a Derbyshire-based developer, fell into administration last month, with the Gazette confirming the appointment of Charles Ranby-Gorwood and Arabella Ranby-Gorwood of CRG Insolvency & Financial Recovery as joint administrators on April 3.

The company collapsed after posting a NOI earlier in March, months after being ordered to pay £14,435.17 in a prosecution brought by Natural England. The company was found to have breached the conditions of a European protected species bat mitigation licence, with four offences relating to a development near Ashbourne.

In the company’s accounts to September 29 2022, its assets were valued at close to £3.9 million and it employed seven staff.

Beattie Passive Group Limited – April 3
Beattie Passive Group Limited, a modular homes specialist based in Norwich, fell into administration after encountering a cash flow gap following delays to major projects. The group, which created the UK’s first Passivhaus-certified build system, fell into administration despite solid growth and a strong order book of £4.5 million.

Benjamin Wiles and Philip Dakin of Kroll Advisory were appointed as joint administrators of the group, along with four subsidiaries: Beattie Passive Operations Limited; Beattie Passive Build System Limited; Beattie Passive Construction Services Limited; and Beattie Passive Technical Limited.

Operations at the group’s 10,8000 sq metre factory have been paused since the group filed NOIs to appoint administrators last month. In the group’s accounts for the year to December 31 2022, it reported turnover of £3.8 million, down from £9.1 million a year earlier, while it fell from an operating profit of £0.58 million to a loss of nearly £1.3 million.

Armstrong Craven Limited – April 4
Armstrong Craven Limited, an Altrincham-based firm providing talent strategy and solutions, fell into administration last month, with Martyn Rickels and Anthony Collier of FRP Advisory appointed as administrators.

In its accounts for the year to December 31 2022, the firm reported turnover of £9.4 million, up from £8.6 million a year earlier, but fell from an operating profit of more than £900,000 to a loss of £107,581, which was attributed to “the effects of an uncertain economy”. At the time, its net liabilities amounted to £608,413.

RedCat Leased Pubs Limited – April 4
RedCat Leased Pubs Limited, a subsidiary of pubs group RedCat Group, fell into administration at the end of March, appointing Nicholas Holloway and Stephen Absolom of Interpath Advisory as joint administrators.

The company had become lossmaking after being severely affected by the numerous headwinds affecting the pub sector, as well as the wider hospitality industry. The joint administrators have started a process to market the business, assets and leases of the company’s 10 pubs for sale.

In its accounts for the year to April 2 2023, the firm reported turnover of £5.2 million, but fell to a pre-tax loss of £6.5 million. At the time, its net liabilities stood at close to £7.6 million.

Find out more about RedCat Leased Pubs’ collapse

Carlton Forest 3PL Limited – April 4
Carlton Forest 3PL Limited, warehousing and transport company based in Worksop, has fallen into administration after being hit by rising costs, falling storage rates and overcapacity in the UK’s warehousing market.

James Lumb and Howard Smith of Interpath Advisory have been appointed as joint administrators of the company, along with subsidiary Green Forest Solutions LLP and Carlton Forest Group Holdings.

In the company’s accounts for the year to August 31 2022, it reported turnover of £17.6 million, up from £11.5 million a year earlier, while operating profits increased from £871,396 to £2.3 million. At the time, its net assets were valued at £4 million.

Stage 50 Limited and Winnersh Film Studios Limited – April 5
Stage 50 Limited and Winnersh Film Studios Limited, two companies within the Stage 50 Group, fell into administration last week. Recent actor and writer strikes in the film and TV industry had taken a detrimental toll on the companies’ cashflow. Stage 50 Group is a specialist in designing, building and operating boutique film and television studios.

Nick Holloway and Steve Absolom of Interpath Advisory were appointed as joint administrators of the companies, which will continue trading while options are assessed. Other legal entities within the group are not currently in administration and will continue trading as usual.

Find out more about this story

C.C. & R.J. Emerson Limited – April 9
C.C. & R.J. Emerson Limited, a freight transport business based in Leicester, fell into administration earlier this month, amid widespread distress in the UK haulage sector. Miles Needham and John Lowe of FRP Advisory were appointed as joint administrators.

In the company’s accounts to March 31 2023, its fixed assets were valued at £3.1 million and current assets at just under £1.6 million. At the time, however, its net liabilities stood at £355,776.


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