Norwich firm shuts with loss of 18 jobs
Eighteen jobs have been lost in Norwich after administrators were forced to make the remaining staff redundant at a city office of a civil engineering firm.
Directors of Millard Consulting Group called in administrators last week after seeing a sharp fall in turnover and growing losses.
Administrator Andrew McTear, of the business rescue and insolvency specialists McTear, Williams & Wood, had hoped to secure a quick sale of the business before Christmas.
Yesterday it emerged that eight jobs had been saved through the sale of the Midlands arm of the business in Coventry, but the remaining 34 staff across the country have been made redundant, including 18 people at the head office in St George's Street, Norwich.
Mr McTear said: "Effectively it's the winding up of the business. There is some interest in the piecemeal assets of the individual companies and I'm working through those at the moment. I expect to conclude sales of individual assets in January, but I don't expect any complete business and asset sales - that's why we've had to make the redundancies."
On making staff redundant just days before Christmas, Mr McTear added: “Certainly, it's one of the more difficult parts of the job.
“But we have to make hard-nosed business decisions as directors have to. It would just end up in a bigger mess if we didn't do it.”
Millard, which also has offices in Ipswich, Sevenoaks and Slough, had traded for more than 20 years and was listed in the top 80 fee earners in 2009 New Civil Engineer rankings.
Mr McTear said the firm had been profitable for much of its 20 years of trading, with turnover peaking at £7m two years ago. At its peak the business had a workforce of about 147 people.
But he said that the recession and downturn in the construction industry had seen turnover halve and trading losses of more than £1m in the last couple of years.
Eighteen jobs have been lost in Norwich after administrators were forced to make the remaining staff redundant at a city office of a civil engineering firm.
Directors of Millard Consulting Group called in administrators last week after seeing a sharp fall in turnover and growing losses.
Administrator Andrew McTear, of the business rescue and insolvency specialists McTear, Williams & Wood, had hoped to secure a quick sale of the business before Christmas.
Yesterday it emerged that eight jobs had been saved through the sale of the Midlands arm of the business in Coventry, but the remaining 34 staff across the country have been made redundant, including 18 people at the head office in St George's Street, Norwich.
Mr McTear said: "Effectively it's the winding up of the business. There is some interest in the piecemeal assets of the individual companies and I'm working through those at the moment. I expect to conclude sales of individual assets in January, but I don't expect any complete business and asset sales - that's why we've had to make the redundancies."
On making staff redundant just days before Christmas, Mr McTear added: “Certainly, it's one of the more difficult parts of the job.
“But we have to make hard-nosed business decisions as directors have to. It would just end up in a bigger mess if we didn't do it.”
Millard, which also has offices in Ipswich, Sevenoaks and Slough, had traded for more than 20 years and was listed in the top 80 fee earners in 2009 New Civil Engineer rankings.
Mr McTear said the firm had been profitable for much of its 20 years of trading, with turnover peaking at £7m two years ago. At its peak the business had a workforce of about 147 people.
But he said that the recession and downturn in the construction industry had seen turnover halve and trading losses of more than £1m in the last couple of years.
Eastern Daily Press
Evening News
23 December 2009