80 jobs lost after food company placed into administration

The recent hot weather and currency fluctuations after the Brexit vote have been blamed for the collapse of a food company which had outlets in Blackpool, and Wakefield, Yorkshire.

Clifton Quality Meats was based in Blackpool, where it traded from three locations, as well as a site in Wakefield.

The £10m turnover firm supplied meat and poultry to the leisure, retail and education sectors, and boasted an 80-strong workforce.

But the company had encountered trading difficulties in recent months, which were worsened by the recent good weather which impacted lamb weights.

Also, adverse currency movements, following the Brexit referendum, increased import costs significantly.

And the failure of another business in the sector, Russell Hume, earlier this year, also affected credit insurer sentiment, causing significant working capital challenges in the business.

Consequently, Sarah O’Toole and Jason Bell, of Grant Thornton, were appointed joint administrators to Clifton Quality Meats on Friday, August 24.

A spokesman for the joint administrators said: “CQM suffered multiple challenges in recent months and, despite continued support from other group companies, the directors were left with no alternative but to place the business into administration.

“All staff, who had been laid off prior to our appointment, were made redundant on the 24 August 2018. We understand that a significant number of those affected have found alternative employment in the local area.”