Administrator axes 152 jobs at packaging firm

KPMG, administrator for Pulse Flexible Packaging, confirmed it had made 152 redundancies across the firm’s two sites in Bury and Saffron Walden.

The job cuts come as joint administrators Jonny Marston and Howard Smith announced that manufacturing had restarted at Pulse.

Marston said: “Thanks to the overwhelming support of both customers and suppliers since our appointment, we have been able to recommence part-production across the business’s two sites.​

“Unfortunately, however, we have had to make redundancies across the two sites – 152 in total. We are now assisting these employees with their claims for any sums due to them from the redundancy payments service.”​

‘Redundancies across the two sites’​

KPMG said it was already talking to a number of parties interested in buying Pulse.

Marston added: “We are also in dialogue with a number of interested parties in the business, and will continue these discussions over the coming days and weeks in the hope of achieving a sale.”​

Established in 2014, Pulse Flexible Packaging manufactures a range food packaging products for a number of well-known clients, including Ginsters and Magnum. The firm had 350 staff before the job cuts.

The firm was placed into administration on Monday April 3 after facing what the company described as “operational challenges”​.

‘Additional funding requirement’​

Speaking at the time he was appointed joint administrator, Marston said: “The company has recently suffered operational challenges that have led to an additional funding requirement which has prompted it to enter into administration.”​

Meanwhile, earlier this month fish processing firm Aquila Processing entered administration after suffering financial pressure as a result of weakness of the pound, putting 37 jobs as risk.

Rivington Biscuits’ brands have been put up for sale last week​, after the company entered into administration in December.