All operations at Turners Fine Foods ceased yesterday. A total of 457 members of staff were notified that their roles had been made redundant following the appointment.
‘Period of sustained losses’
Joint administrator from KPMG Will Wright said: “Following a period of sustained losses, and despite the directors’ best efforts to affect a turnaround and sale of the business, the company was unable to continue [trading].”
The administrators kept essential staff to help complete outstanding orders, and to help close down the business.
“Over the coming days, we will commence an orderly wind-down of the business, and will also be speaking to any interested parties, with a view to trying to secure a sale of the assets,” said Wright.
Most of the redundancies came at Turners Fine Foods’s Goudhurst site in Kent, where 311 jobs were lost.
Elsewhere, 98 roles were made redundant in Christchurch, Dorset, and 53 jobs in Tonbridge, Kent. See box for more information.
Made the decision to go into administration
Silverstar Foods had reportedly made the decision to take Turners Fine Foods into administration last Wednesday (July 20). It was believed the company would continue trading until Friday July 29.
The wholesaler appointed new management in April, in a bid to save the business. However, the chairman had reportedly sent a message to customers on Wednesday saying management had failed to keep the business afloat.
Turners Fine Foods’s chairman Sean Cooper was understood to have written to customers: “It is with deep regret that I now write to you to inform you that we have been unable to complete this task [saving the business], and find ourselves in a position where we will be appointing administrators on Friday, July 29.”
The company employed a total of 484 people, and had about 3,000 customers.
Turners Fine Foods’s staff numbers
- Goudhurst, Kent: 311
- Christchurch, Dorset: 98
- Tonbridge, Kent: 53
- Earby, Lancashire: 12
- Camden Quarter restaurant, Kent: 10
- Total: 484