Music distributor rescued following administration

A Hinckley-based supply chain firm has acquired an entertainment distributor, following the company’s administration.
DP World Logistics UK has acquired Utopia Distribution Services (UDS) after Mark Supperstone and Ben Woodthorpe of Evelyn Partners were appointed as joint administrators on December 13.
UDS operates from a 270,000 sq ft facility in Bicester, and ships more than 30 million units of physical entertainment products, including CDs, DVDs and vinyl, each year.
The move follows bankruptcy proceedings against UDS’s Swiss parent, Proper Group (formerly Utopia Music), which were initiated in September.
As part of the acquisition, several key assets, including IT systems, were transferred to DP World. It is also expected that all UDS employees will transfer to DP World under TUPE regulations.
A DP World spokesperson said: “We are pleased to confirm that we are taking on responsibility for the full day-to-day operation of our distribution centre at Bicester, following our recent purchase of the business and assets of Utopia Distribution Services out of administration. We look forward to working closely with our entertainment partners in this expanded role.
“This facility has now been open for more than a year and is proving to be an outstanding success, supplying physical music and home entertainment to the growing UK market. Our reliable and competitive service, which includes state-of-the-art technology across the centre, enables our customers to distribute to the whole of the UK from a single site. DP World is committed to playing its part in ensuring the continued success and growth of the physical music and home entertainment sectors in the UK.”
Mark Supperstone, joint administrator of UDS and Partner at Evelyn Partners, said: “It is unfortunate to see a business such as UDS that benefits from high-quality facilities and prominent clients in the music industry encounter these difficulties. However, we are encouraged that the business is expected to operate as usual following the sale to DP World, with all jobs saved.”