110 year-old metal processing business calls in administrators

A 110 year-old waste management and scrap metal business, W. H. Marren, has called in administrators.

45 staff were made redundant upon the appointment of joint administrators Mark Orton and Will Wight from KPMG on 18 July.

The West Midlands business employed a total of 52 staff, with the remaining seven kept on as skeleton staff as administrators wind down the business.

The company said it had experienced cash flow issues due to “significant” HMRC liabilities, which arose after an investigation into “financial irregularities” in the supply chains in which W.H. Marren had traded.

W. H. Marren was founded in 1906, and specialised in the processing of metals, with an emphasis on materials recycling.

Mark Orton, partner at KPMG and joint administrator, said: “Following what we understand to be extensive efforts by the directors to challenge the HMRC claim, the company has recently experienced significant cash flow pressures and was therefore unable to continue to trade and the directors took the difficult decision to place it into administration.

“Over the coming days we will commence an orderly wind-down of the business, and will also be speaking to interested parties with a view to trying to secure a sale of the assets. We would encourage anybody who may be interested in acquiring either the property, stock or assets to contact the joint administrators as soon as possible.”