Jobs go as kitchens firm fails

AROUND 100 jobs have been lost after a Manchester kitchen supplier went into administration.

Family-owned FD Kitchens, based at Clough Saw Mills, Prestwich and also at Delph, Oldham, was hit by a slump in sales related to the weak property market.
 
Paul Stanley and Jason Greenhalgh from Begbies Traynor have been appointed as joint administrators of the business which in the year to the end of March 2010 had sales of £6.8m.

The firm was founded in the 1970s by chairman Frank Durr and several members of his family are listed as directors at Companies House. 

Stanley said: “FD Kitchens is a victim of the downturn in the property market. It was a successful business specialising in volume kitchen fit outs at new residential schemes.
 
“As the market has slowed down, orders have  dried up and trading has became increasingly difficult.”
 
Greenhalgh said management had tried to cut costs by shutting down the Prestwich site last month, but this was not enough to save the business.

“Since our appointment, the business has retained 10 staff and continued to trade for the last two weeks while commencing the marketing of the business and assets.
 
“The work in progress that could be undertaken has now completed so we have today been left with no choice but to close the site in Delph making the remaining staff redundant.
 
“We are continuing to market the property at Delph and the assets of the business as a whole.”