A world-famous pottery goes into administration
We’ve started a new month and you could be forgiven for thinking that Summer has arrived a month early with some unseasonable but welcome hot weather.
Hopefully this will translate in more people being out and about and spending more on products and services.
But if you’re catching up in the shade instead, we’ve got the latest important and interesting business and insolvency news stories from the past seven days you might have missed to enjoy.
So if you want to know why Winding Up Orders and Petitions have risen to decade high levels; why overall insolvencies reduced a little last month but underlying categories worryingly rose; how to better understand the CCJ process; or how a CVA could be the fresh start a business needs – you can read all these stories and more at our advice centre page.
Patchwork Foods
A well-known North Wales food firm, started at the founder’s kitchen table in 1982, has gone into liquidation.
Patchwork Foods was known for pates and other speciality dishes and won many awards while Margaret Carter and her family were in charge before leaving the business after selling to new owners in May 2024.
A statement from Scott Davies, the current owner, was issued that said: “I took a controlling share of Patchwork Foods in May 2024 to try and turn the business around as it was close to insolvency.
“After 12 months of hard efforts, tough decisions, great work by staff and a significant amount of investment the company still showed no future of getting to break even or generating a positive cash flow.
“I personally funded Patchwork every week throughout the 12 months in order to meet creditor payments. I could no longer continue doing so which led me to the decision to voluntarily liquidate.
“It’s a sad day for Ruthin, the local area and the Welsh food and drink environment of which I’m a huge champion of.”
Steak of the Art
A concept restaurant with sites in Bristol and Cardiff has gone into administration with the Cardiff venue closing with immediate effect.
Steak of the Art is a steakhouse and art gallery concept set up to serve steak sourced from West Country farmers, seafood from Cornwall and other meat dishes such as lamb and game.
The owning company called Groupco Ltd appointed administrators this week.
W Moorcroft
A West Midlands pottery firm which was favoured by the late Queen Elizabeth II and dates back to the late 19th century has ceased to trade and has entered voluntary liquidation.
W Moorcroft Ltd was based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent and had been producing handcrafted pottery since 1897.
The founder William Moorcroft was a graduate of the Royal College of Art in London and they sold pottery and designs to stores such as Liberty of London, Harrods and Tiffany & Co in New York.
57 positions have been made redundant as a result.
Moorcroft is the latest company in a year of struggle for the city’s ceramic industry. Royal Stafford went into administration in February with both seeing energy costs rising almost £250,000 in just two years.
Rob Flello, chief executive of Ceramics UK, which is also based in the city, has called for the government to step in and support the sector.
“Successive governments have just hammered the UK ceramics industry with things like carbon taxes and a whole raft of other taxes that cheap imports don’t have to worry about.”
Karri Kitchen
A Northern Irish healthy ready-meal manufacturer has gone into liquidation after six years of trading.
Karri Kitchen, based in Armagh, specialised in Asian-style meals and supplied products to Tesco, Asda, Lidl and Spar but was “unable to meet rising production costs”.
A statement was issued on behalf of the directors that said: “Karri Kitchen Ltd was a fantastic local brand that produced excellent products and had a loyal customer base. Its loss as a unique aspect to the local economy will be mourned but the company was simply unable to meet rising production costs and broader economic pressures.”
EAV
An E-Cargo bike manufacturer has gone into administration following a major shareholder withdrawing their key financial commitment.
EAV was a pioneering force in the sustainable logistics sector, being one of the early adopters of cargo bike technology for commercial logistics. They helped raise awareness and push the boundaries of what last-mile delivery could look like in dense urban environments.
Innovative product designs and commitment to reducing emissions played an important role in legitimising the use of electric cargo bikes as a viable alternative to vans in cities.
Coupled with the additional cash flow challenges caused by customer order withdrawals, delayed payments and part shortages, CEO Chris Temple said that the company went from a “very positive, buoyant position with an exciting future to a distressed state almost overnight.”
He confirmed that the business was considering offers from new owners and would be likely to accept one in the coming days. He said: “Taking on an established business in a stressed state has been a challenge but I’m proud of what we achieved. It’s the people that make a company and I had one hell of a team.”
Whether you’re going into the first May bank holiday weekend with some time to plan and recuperate, or if like most business owners, you’ll be working some of it and catching up on the business of your business – we hear you.
This is why we offer a free initial consultation to anybody who feels they could benefit from an alternative expert opinion.
So no matter what your goals for the rest of 2025 and beyond – whether it’s expansion, consolidation or even survival – we’ll be able to help.
The sooner you get in touch, generally the more options you’ll have and time to implement them so take some time to refresh then get in touch and we’ll work with you to make this the best year it can be.