so ..... basically they're bust - - - continued

[V8Druid]

aptly put:

National Timber Group went into administration yesterday. 561 people redundant. I'm not going to analyse it. I'm not going to explain it. Everyone already knows the story. Here's what I will say… | Dmitrijs Sakelis | 40 comments

National Timber Group went into administration yesterday. 561 people redundant. I'm not going to analyse it. I'm not going to explain it. Everyone already knows the story. Here's what I will say, though... Next week, every NTG competitor will increase their prices. Not dramatically. Just...

www.linkedin.com

National Timber Group in administration

Administrators have been appointed to the National Timber Group of builders’ merchants and put assets up for sale.

www.theconstructionindex.co.uk

 

[V8Druid]

Versarien on the brink

A company set to exploit applications for graphene in construction and other industries is on the brink of collapse.

www.theconstructionindex.co.uk

 

[pettsy]

Warwick Ward apparently laid off a load of staff today according to a post I saw earlier. Google comes up with this too

Warwick Ward (Machinery) Limited - Caseboard

Case Number: CR-2025-LDS-001153, Case Name: Warwick Ward (Machinery) Limited, List: Companies, Case Filed: 27 Nov 2025

caseboard.io

 

[Nick...]

I know things are bad in the farming world with dealers shutting up weekly.i thought construction was booming with all the major projects going on in uk.maybe it's the Chinese machines undercutting established brands.i know we all want Volvo,hitachi,cat etc across the counterweight but at the end of the day customers are paying for a hole to be dug or material being moved.chinese cars are taking over as are motorcycles and plent of construction machinery too,farm machinery is also coming in from china and a lot of this stuff is 30/40% below the cost of what we used to paying.its only going to get worse
nick...

 

[Giles]

Warwick Ward apparently laid off a load of staff today according to a post I saw earlier. Google comes up with this too

Warwick Ward (Machinery) Limited - Caseboard

Case Number: CR-2025-LDS-001153, Case Name: Warwick Ward (Machinery) Limited, List: Companies, Case Filed: 27 Nov 2025

caseboard.io

Earthmoving and waste recycling equipment supplier falls into administration | TheBusinessDesk.com

Most of the long-established company’s 89 staff have been made redundant

www.thebusinessdesk.com

 

[powercom]

Earthmoving and waste recycling equipment supplier falls into administration | TheBusinessDesk.com

Most of the long-established company’s 89 staff have been made redundant

www.thebusinessdesk.com

Warwick ward was owned by its employees I think sure a read an article in some mag saying the founders had passed it on to the employees.

 

[Simon edwards]

Warwick ward was owned by its employees I think sure a read an article in some mag saying the founders had passed it on to the employees.

I’ve had a couple of cold calls from them this year,they are a bloody long way from me and I’ve never had anything off them !
Real shame when long standing companies like this go under.tough times for a lot of companies.

 

[TiltyShaun]

Warwick ward was owned by its employees I think sure a read an article in some mag saying the founders had passed it on to the employees.

I don’t know the facts, but passing it on to an employee led trust very often means the founders have taken all the available cash out of the business. That then leaves the trust struggle to maintain the level of trade as previously funded.

 

[V8Druid]

Warwick ward was owned by its employees I think sure a read an article in some mag saying the founders had passed it on to the employees.

" In June 2023 owner-directors Ashley and Matt Ward sold the company to an employee ownership trust. In its last year of ownership under the Wards, it made a pre-tax profit of £679,000 on sales of £51.2m. In its first year under employee ownership it sank to a pre-tax loss of £1.3m with sales revenue falling 11% to £45.3m........In Warwick Ward’s case, the debt accrued as part of its transition to employee ownership was certainly a contributory factor in its difficulties "

rarely bodes well once the owners have bled the cash out of the biz for retirement ... not many employee ownership trusts survive very long

Administrators appointed to Warwick Ward

After 55 years of trading, construction plant dealer Warwick Ward (Machinery) Ltd has collapsed into administration.

www.theconstructionindex.co.uk

Warwick Ward apparently laid off a load of staff today according to a post I saw earlier. Google comes up with this too

Warwick Ward (Machinery) Limited - Caseboard

Case Number: CR-2025-LDS-001153, Case Name: Warwick Ward (Machinery) Limited, List: Companies, Case Filed: 27 Nov 2025

caseboard.io

Earthmoving and waste recycling equipment supplier falls into administration | TheBusinessDesk.com

Most of the long-established company’s 89 staff have been made redundant

www.thebusinessdesk.com

 

[Jimoz]

Are there seriously businesses out there that make less than 700k on 51m turnover or was the business failing at this point?!

 

[TiltyShaun]

Are there seriously businesses out there that make less than 700k on 51m turnover or was the business failing at this point?!

They would not be alone.

 

[Diggerdavey]

Are there seriously businesses out there that make less than 700k on 51m turnover or was the business failing at this point?!

Margin is too small to make the turnover worthwhile. In my humble opinion the business isn’t viable or worthwhile having that level of stress for that return

 

[V8Druid]

Margin is too small to make the turnover worthwhile. In my humble opinion the business isn’t viable or worthwhile having that level of stress for that return

which is why the Wards got out

 

[powercom]

TBH that's maybe not a bad result just looked Lloyds accounts who sell a vast range of ag and construction machines in the north and Scotland and who i would generally say are well managed and financed but they lost 1.75 million on turnover of 126 Million in 24.
Ok Agriculture is probably over 1/2 there sales and have had a hiding this last year as farmers are cutting back but

In 23 they tuned over 146 million and made a profit of 1.84 million but just shows what a slim line there is even in a profitable year you have to pedal hard to move 146 million of kit and considering the assets they have tied up in it is it worth it in good year to make 1.26% profit on turnover

 

[V8Druid]

this stinks of a cream off / major fiddle

Hundreds of jobs lost as major Welsh employer enters administration

Workers at Consumer Energy Solutions, which has sites in Swansea and the Rhondda, were told their jobs were at risk just days before Christmas

www.walesonline.co.uk

parent co. continuing to trade whilst burying the grant revenue generating arms of the group ..... wonder how much they've creamed off

 

[Splosh]

M G Judd in Warrington (parts wholesalers) appears to have closed - website was still live, but no answer on phone, doors locked and signs in unit gone.

 

[V8Druid]

M G Judd in Warrington (parts wholesalers) appears to have closed - website was still live, but no answer on phone, doors locked and signs in unit gone.

nothing on Companies house - as yet ?

M.G. JUDD LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK

M.G. JUDD LIMITED - Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity

find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk

 

[V8Druid]

here's a surprise .........

UK recycling firm crashes into administration after 27yrs – 'assets up for sale'

The firm, founded in 1998, has entered liquidation.

www.express.co.uk

"Its collapse comes at a time of ongoing difficulties faced by other operators in the UK, following shortly after the liquidation filing of Unimetals Group, another major metals recycling firm, which was placed into compulsory liquidation by court order in November after failing to secure a buyer or new financing. Unimetals Recycling (UK) Ltd operated 27 sites nationwide and employed around 650 people. "

 

[V8Druid]

Collapsed hotel developer hits John F Hunt for more than £5m

Losses on job in London send profit tumbling as turnover heads towards £200m

www.building.co.uk

 

[V8Druid]

no surprises here then

" Versarien never actually managed to make a profit, losing millions every year, often with losses outstripping turnover. Latest accounts show a pre-tax loss of £4.3m on revenue of £2.4m. The previous year it generated £5.4m revenue but made a pr-tax loss of £14.3m. "

Administrators appointed to Versarien

Versarien, a company pioneering the use of graphene in construction, has collapsed.

www.theconstructionindex.co.uk