Auction for failed food firms assets
Published March 3rd, 2007
Hartlepool Today News - ADMINISTRATORS have given up their search for a buyer for a stricken frozen foods firm that went to the wall earlier this month.
Bonne Bouche, which specialised in frozen desserts from their base on the Oakesway Industrial Estate in Hartlepool, laid off all but 10 of their 242-strong workforce on February 1.
Administrators KPMG were called in to take care of the firm following the closure, and there were hopes that they could hunt out a buyer to take over the factory.
But a spokeswoman for KPMG told the Mail: “We haven’t had any offers to take over the facility as a viable business.”
The collapse was the latest in a long line of troubles for the factory, which has also previously traded as Hibernia and Freshbake prior to Bonne Bouche’s management buy-out in 2004.
An announcement from Bonne Bouche at the time of the closure blamed the demise on “tough trading conditions”.
KPMG have appointed SHM Smith Hodgkinson, the UK’s leading auctioneer, appraiser and valuer of business assets to sell-off food manufacturing equipment in what is described as the largest sale of its kind this year.
The worldwide sale is set to take place from April 16 to 19 and will be broadcast live and interactive over the internet.
Items up for auction include the full range of branded food manufacturing equipment.
Ian Maycock, director at SHM Smith Hodgkinson, said: “This auction is set to be the largest sale of food manufacturing equipment of the year and presents an excellent opportunity to acquire premium quality, branded equipment.”
Other items going under the hammer include spiral freezers, continuous through-feed ovens, mixers, depositors and associated packaging equipment.
Full details of the auction are available from www.shm-group.com or by contacting SHM’s head office in Manchester on 0161 233 2900.
