UK administrations update: March 13 – 19

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.

Base Childrenswear Limited – March 13
Base Childrenswear Limited, a retailer of designer clothing for children that trades as Flannels Jnr, was placed into administration on March 8, with the Gazette confirming the appointment of Michael Lennon and Benjamin Wiles of Kroll Advisory as joint administrators on March 13.

The company is part of the Frasers Group, being one of a slew of clothing brands acquired by the group from JD Sports in December 2022. The brand is the latest Frasers subsidiary to be placed into administration in quick succession, following the collapse of MatchesFashion earlier this month.

Michael Lennon and Benjamin Wiles were also appointed as joint administrators to another Frasers subsidiary, Dantra Limited – which trades as Flannels Jnr and Kids Cavern, on the same day.

In the company’s reports for the year to January 29 2022, it reported turnover of £13.4 million, up from £11.8 million a year previously, while cutting its operating losses from £746,000 to £387,000. At the time, its net liabilities stood at more than £2 million.

Read more about this administration here

Tradesmith Limited – March 13
Tradesmith Limited, a manufacturer of windows, doors and conservatories based in Hailsham, East Sussex, fell into administration earlier this month, with Nicola Fisher and Christopher Herron of Herron Fisher appointed as joint administrators.

In the company’s accounts for the year to March 31 2023, its fixed assets were valued at £106,345 and current assets at just under £750,000. At the time, its net assets were valued at £443,317.

Find out more about M&A in the manufacturing sector

Seafood Products Limited – March 13
Seafood Products Limited, a wholesaler of fish based in Farnham, Surrey, fell into administration on March 11, with the Gazette posting the appointment of Danny Allen of 360 Insolvency as administrator on March 13.

In the company’s accounts for the year to March 31 2023, it reported turnover of £33.1 million, compared to £24.8 million for its previous reporting period from January 1 2022 to March 31 2022, while going from a post-tax loss of £267,545 to a profit of £22,025.

At the time, its fixed assets were valued at around £285,000 and current assets at £3.7 million, while net assets amounted to just under £1.7 million.

Find out more about M&A trends in the seafood industry

T Dobson & Sons (Produce) Limited – March 14
T Dobson & Sons (Produce) Limited, a fruit and vegetable wholesale group based in Preston, fell into administration earlier this month, with David Acland and Martyn Rickels of FRP Advisory appointed as joint administrators.

In the company’s accounts for the year to March 31 2022, it reported turnover of £35.1 million, up from £27.2 million a year earlier, but saw its pre-tax profits plummet from just under £148,000 to £30,275.

At the time, its fixed assets were valued at £2.1 million and current assets at £5.9 million, while net assets amounted to slightly under £1.8 million.

Find out about rising insolvencies in the UK food sector

Hiretest Limited – March 14
Hiretest Limited, a specialist groundworks contractor based in Watford, fell into administration on March 11 after filing a Notice of Intention (NOI) to appoint administrators earlier in the month. Neil Bennett and Dane O’Hara of Leonard Curtis have been appointed as joint administrators.

The company had been operating for more than 30 years and specialised in reinforced concrete frame construction, in addition to groundworks. As reported by industry publication Construction Enquirer at the time the NOI was filed, the company did a significant amount of work with Readie Construction, which fell into administration in February 2024.

In Hiretest’s most recent accounts at Companies House, the company reported turnover of just over £28 million for the period from December 1 2020 to May 31 2022, compared to £16.8 million for the year covered by its previous accounts.

At the time, the company stated that the period had been “dominated by the pandemic, the effects of Brexit and inflation of labour, fuel and materials costs” which had “combined to produce a difficult trading period”, with one major fixed price contract entered into prior to COVID-19 being “especially badly affected.”

As a result, the company’s post-tax profits fell from £268,478 to £23,157. At the time, its net assets were valued at £3.2 million.

The Buffalo Farm Limited – March 15
The Buffalo Farm Limited, a buffalo farm and butchery in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, fell into administration earlier this month, with Callum Carmichael and Chad Griffin of FRP Advisory appointed as joint administrators.

In the company’s most recent accounts, for the year to June 30 2022, its fixed assets were valued at £3.2 million and current assets at £1.1 million. At the time, its net assets totalled £328,258.

Club Legends Limited – March 15
Club Legends Limited is a sports photography business based in Burradon, Tyne and Wear. The company fell into administration on March 13, with the Gazette posting the appointment of Steven Ross and Allan Kelly of FRP Advisory as joint administrators on March 15.

In its accounts for the year to December 31 2022, the company’s fixed assets were valued at £185,688 and current assets at £364,591, with net assets amounting to £106,808 at the time.

Richard Slade And Company Limited – March 19
Richard Slade and Company Limited, a solicitors based on Gray’s Inn Square, London, fell into administration earlier this month, with William Batty and Hugh Jesseman of Antony Batty & Company appointed as joint administrators.

In the company’s accounts for the year to March 31 2022, its fixed assets were valued at £145,200 and current assets at £7.8 million. At the time, the company’s total equity amounted to £1.3 million.

Interflex Limited – March 19
Interflex Limited, an automotive parts manufacturer based in Nottinghamshire, fell into administration on March 14, after filing an NOI earlier this month. Benjamin Wiles of Kroll Advisory and Louise Williams of Opus Restructuring were appointed as joint administrators.

In the company's accounts for the year ending December 31 2022, its fixed assets were valued at slightly over £342,000 and current assets at more than £3.4 million. The company’s total debts at the time amounted to more than £3.1 million, however, with its net assets standing at £561,748.

Read more about Interflex’s collapse

DG Risk Consultants Limited – March 19
DG Risk Consultants Limited, a risk and security management consultancy based in Devon, fell into administration on March 15, with the Gazette confirming the appointment of Siann Huntley and Sean Ward of Leonard Curtis as joint administrators on March 19.

In the company’s accounts for the year to December 31 2020, its fixed assets were valued at £3.1 million and current assets at £3.2 million. However, the company’s debts at the time left it with net liabilities totalling £367,392.

Find out about the steps to selling a consulting business

TriCIS Limited – March 19
TriCIS Limited, a designer and manufacturer of Secure Integrated Solutions (SIS) primarily for clients in the government and defence sectors, fell into administration on March 7, with the appointment of Lucinda Coleman and Nicholas Harris of Francis Clark as joint administrators confirmed by the Gazette on March 19.

In the company’s accounts for the year ending March 31 2023, its fixed assets were valued at close to £2.1 million and current assets at £769,115. At the time, its net assets totalled £615,736.


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