FRP oversees British Ceramic Tile administration

13 February 2019 Consultancy.uk

More than 300 jobs have been lost in the South-West of England, as a ceramic tile producer collapsed into administration at the end of January. Consulting firm FRP has been appointed to oversee the administration of British Ceramic Tile, and provide support to employees during the redundancy process.

Until its collapse, British Ceramic Tile was the UK's largest manufacturer of ceramic wall and floor tiles. Based in Newton Abbot in Devon, the firm also had a site in Cleckheaton, Yorkshire, and employed around 380 people across the two plants.

While the firm had been a leading player in the ceramic tiles segment, it was forced to cease trading with immediate effect after losing a "key customer contract in recent days." This resulted in a total of 313 redundancies, while 67 remaining employees will now support the orderly winding down of the business.

Corporate restructuring specialist consultancy FRP Advisory has been appointed to oversee the process, with Partners Alastair Massey, Tony Wright and Andrew Sheridan appointed as joint administrators. According to the trio, challenging market conditions ultimately did for British Ceramic Tile, which has been impacted by a downturn in consumer demand that has also seen falling sales in the home improvement store sector.

Andrew Sheridan commented, "British Ceramic Tile Limited is a leading player in the manufacturer of ceramic tiles, with a long-standing heritage in the local communities in which it operates and a stellar reputation for its quality products.

Elsewhere in the home improvement sector, home products company Apple Home Improvements collapsed just before Christmas, with the loss of 34 jobs in the process. Meanwhile, retailer Homebase continues to flounder amid a broader retail downturn in the UK.