Collapse of Hewden, a law firm’s blackmailing email and a ‘disruptive’ pay-as-you-go estate agent
THE demise of loss-making heavy machinery rental specialist Hewden, based in Stretford, Greater Manchester, with the loss of 251 jobs was our most read story this week.
The failure of the high-profile company has been largely attributed to uncertainty caused by Brexit, perhaps the most worrying element of this story for other North West business owners.
However, joint administrators at EY went into overdrive to ensure three divisions of the group were sold to Ashtead Plant Hire Company Ltd.
These included the access and power generation assets, the on-site plant business and the business and assets of Interlift Ltd for £29m.
The deal saved the jobs of 133 employees who will transfer across with the businesses.
Wrongdoers are always box office, never more so this week than for our second-best read which was about an email sent by Manchester law firm DAC Beachcroft on behalf of a client which included threats amounting to blackmail, said the Court of Appeal.
Third best read was the launch of pay-as-you-go estate agency company ourhomesale from its base in Chester with managing director Martin Haywood – who once coached former world number four tennis player Tim Henman – pledging to market homes for £30 per month for as long or as little time as vendors want.
The idea has certainly struck with Haywood’s objective to “disrupt the disrupters” and put a 100-year-old pricing model traditionally used by other estate agents to the sword.
Your top 10:
