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Favouring The Union Jack And Avoiding Red Flags
Endurance Aluminium has been accepted to Made in Britain. It comes at when war tariffs and local insolvencies are leading installers to reassess their...
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Stars Fall In On Alufold – Competitors Ready To Fill The Breach
Other aluminium fabricators have shown a determination to pick up the work from installers left high and dry by the collapse of Alufold Direct which went into administration on 10 June.
More than 100 jobs at the firm in Blackburn have been lost. The employees were informed on 12 June. The company had operated for nearly 12 years and was a substantial entity, supplying aluminium windows and doors in conventional and heritage variants and supporting commercial projects. Even in April of this year, the firm launched its new AluSky rooflight and was promoting its brand new AluShade pergola.
In mid-May, the company was nominated in 10 categories of the National Fenestration Awards.
Big players in the aluminium market such as Made For Trade, Arkay and Endurance Aluminium, which have similar products, have delivered messages to the market of their stability and agility to support installers looking for new suppliers.
Redundancy
There had been widespread rumours about the health of Alufold Direct which was founded by husband-and-wife team Craig and Lorraine Miller in 2014 and to Literacy Capital in 2019. However, the speed at which it finally was forced to call in FRP Advisory as administrator, suggests the employees may not have received much notice of its demise and not received ‘fair’ consultation. It can only be hoped that they will receive at least 90-days’ protective award pay and possibly a little more.
Employees should now be consulted by FRP but may also decide to report their situation the Employment Tribunal Service. MSB Solicitors has thrown its hat into the ring to act for employees – www.msbsolicitors.co.uk
Sizable concern
Alufold Direct boasted a 75,000sq.ft factory which was backed by an aluminium glazing design centre commercial/showroom space. However, in each of the last two years, it had posted pre-tax losses of over £1 million.
The OakNorth bank provided debt facilities.
Sales
The FRP team of joint administrators Mark Hodgett and Philip Armstrong are still aiming to find a buyer for the business but hopes will be dashed by the knowledge that just before entering administration, a proposed sale failed and more funding was not forthcoming.
Hodgett says: “Unfortunately, the business became increasingly constrained by liquidity pressures. Despite best efforts, the management team were unable to secure a solvent sale. Despite strong interest in the business, they couldn’t complete the transaction in time.”
Picture: The AluSky rooflight was a recent launch from Alufold Direct that couldn't save its fortunes.
Article written by Brian Shillibeer
18th June 2025