A guide for redundant employees in administration or insolvency situations

Royal Stafford based in the Royal Overhouse Manufactory, one of the oldest pottery factories in Burslem has collapsed into liquidation. The Stoke-on-Trent pottery business employed some 70 people.The Royal Stafford brand was established in 1845 and the firm described itself as one of the handful of potteries with all production taking place in England."This must be a wake-up call for decision makers," said Colin Griffiths, GMB senior organiser. "The loss of Royal Stafford is a huge blow to workers and the entire community here in Stoke."Our city cannot power its kilns with wind and batteries; wishful thinking means spiralling energy costs are now pushing the sector over the edge."Meanwhile the illegal importing of foreign forgeries is out of control and driving down orders even further."Our ceramic and pottery industry is vital for economic growth and supports thousands of jobs across the UK."The time for warm words is over, now we must see action." Why has Royal Stafford gone into liquidation rather than administration? The most probable reason is simply that there was unlikely to be any buyer for the business.  For a company to go into administration the insolvency practitioners have to show that the return to creditors would be better in administration than in liquidation ie "a better result".  Administration can be expensive so there has to be a reasonable prospect of this. 

Zedify, the UK's largest electric freight bike delivery network, has gone into administration, resulting in the loss of over 100 jobs.Zedify, founded in 2015, provides zero-emission last-mile logistics services to businesses such as high-street stores, package carriers, and independent businesses.The investment came after Zedify received a £5 million funding round in March 2023 from the same investors, including Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital and Mercia, which enabled the company to grow from 113 to 209 people and sign sponsors such as Hello Fresh, Selfridges and Veja.However, despite increased demand for sustainable delivery services, the company was unable to secure enough finance to continue operations. As a result, on January 31, it appointed Interpath's Will Wright and Steve Absolom as Joint Administrators of Outspoken Logistics Limited, also known as Zedify.The company's hubs in Cambridge and Edinburgh remain operational, with 38 staff retained while the Joint Administrators look into future options for these locations. Furthermore, the Bristol hub is run by a separate legal corporation and continues to operate.However, the Joint Administrators have begun an orderly wind-down of the remaining business and have closed seven of the company's trading centres. As a result, 105 individuals have lost their jobs.Ravi Patel of Interpath, who is handling the sale of the company's business and assets, stated: "Zedify was considered a pioneer within the logistics market, being the UK's first cargo bike delivery service with a zero-emission, last-mile delivery model. We are working to explore all options and are seeking buyers for the business and its assets, including its fleet of electric bicycles and their associated intellectual property, as well as the Zedify brand."Steve Absolom, Interpath's Managing Director and Joint Administrator, stated: "We understand news of the company's insolvency will be devastating to its team of employees. We'll endeavour to provide support to those impacted by redundancy, including assisting them with claims to the Redundancy Payments Service."

Following the collapse of the wedding venue, Stapleford Park Hotel in Leicestershire,  90 jobs have been lost and all reservations and events cancelled.It was confirmed on Thursday that Leonard Curtis had been appointed as Stapleford Park Limited's liquidator.The Grade-I listed property near Melton Mowbray was not owned by the hotel company, according to the firm, and its future "remains uncertain at this stage."Following the venue's closing, which featured superstars including the late US pop sensation Michael Jackson, 92 employees were laid off."Our priority was to ensure the most orderly wind-down of trading possible," stated Alex Cadwallader of Leonard Curtis, who was named a joint liquidator with Neil Bennett.Alex said; “Significant efforts were made to communicate with and re-locate the guests that were staying at the hotel, which was at approximately 50% occupancy.“Leonard Curtis attended the site and worked closely with front of house staff to make this possible, and the wider group also met some essential costs to limit the impact on guests and future bookings.“However, we fully appreciate that some guests will have been adversely impacted.”The Grade-I listed mansion is surrounded by 500 acres of parkland and 48 guest rooms.The hotel's management "was unable to generate the turnover required," according to the liquidator, "despite efforts to reach profitability." 

​​Reaction Engines, a company working on a hybrid rocket engine that will allow for hypersonic flying, submitted a notice of intention to appoint administrators. The administration will be managed by PwC restructuring specialists.The company was dubbed as being able to launch the "next Concorde" but now 173 of the 208 staff have been made redundant.In a statement PwC said [Reaction Engines] had been “pursuing opportunities to raise further funds, but unfortunately, these attempts were unsuccessful”.Sarah O’Toole, joint administrator and partner at PwC, said: “It’s with great sadness that a pioneering company with a 35-year history of spearheading aerospace innovation has unfortunately been unable to raise the funding required to continue operations.”The Oxfordshire business had been negotiating for a financial lifeline with its shareholders, notably the Strategic Development Fund of the United Arab Emirates.It was hoped that Sabre, the hybrid jet and rocket engine being developed by Reaction Engines, could have allowed hypersonic spacecraft to travel from Britain to Australia in as little as four hours.Reaction's Sabre technology, short for Synergetic Air Breathing Rocket Engine, was first developed in 1989.The company has received several government subsidies in addition to investments from BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce. But it also consumed tens of millions of pounds annually.Last year, the business raised £40 million from investors, including those in the United Arab Emirates, increasing its total capital to almost £150 million.The most recent financial statements show that Reaction's yearly losses in 2022 increased from £18.4 million to £25.7 million, while its sales decreased from £7.2 million to £4.7 million.

Family owned Staverton and Gloucester-based company  Completely Motoring Ltd. (CM) that specialises in Vehicles and Motorbike sales has gone into administration and is seeking a buyer.The firm was created in 2009 and has grown to become a major used and new vehicle reseller in Wales and the South West, employing 165 people across 14 showrooms and 11 locations.To March 31, 2023, the firm reported turnover of £78.4 million, up from £50.3 million, although pre-tax earnings fell from slightly over £1 million to £677,000.After a difficult summer and financial issues, the group has gone into administration.Azets restructuring partner and licensed insolvency practitioner Jonathan Amor, Matthew Richards, and Alessandro Sidoli of Xeinadin Corporate Recovery Limited were appointed joint administrators of Completely Motoring Ltd, John Wilkins (Motor Engineers) Ltd, and Thunder Road Motorcycles Ltd.After their appointment, the joint administrators have invited interested parties to approach them as quickly as possible to ensure the group's continuation.Jonathan Amor said: "After weak summer sales, the group is struggling financially. Thus, the group is under administration to preserve it.”We are discussing sales with interested parties. We have received many expressions of interest and ask any further parties to contact us as soon as possible to secure the group's future and save as much of the business and employment as feasible."The group's 2023 accounts showed £4.37 million in fixed assets, £23.8 million in current assets, and £2 million in net assets.