Type
Bankruptcy
Country
United Kingdom
Region
West Midlands; West Midlands; Birmingham
Location of affected unit(s)
Birmingham
Sector
Construction
Construction Of Buildings And Infrastructure Engineering
Civil Engineering
42 - Civil engineering

100 jobs
Number of planned job losses
Job loss
Announcement Date
18 October 2007
Employment effect (start)
18 October 2007
Foreseen end date

Description

William Sapcote and Sons, a firm that operates in the construction sector, has been declared bankrupt and is subsequently to close its site in Birmingham with the loss of 100 jobs. Chairman Richard Sapcote announced the news to staff on 18th October 2007, and has said that a payment withheld by one of the firm’s clients was enough to ‘tip the balance’. He stated:

'Words cannot express how sincerely sorry I am that we have been unable to save the business and preserve the jobs. I would like to thank all employees for their support through the years and especially during this difficult period… Although we've still been picking up work and making profits, it's cash flow that's killed us.'

William Sapcote and Sons was founded in 1853. As of October 2007, there is no definite information on when the job losses will be implemented by. However, it is known that the majority of workers have already been dismissed and that only a small team are currently employed to aid the firm’s administrators.


Sources

  • 19 October 2007: BBC Website

Citation

Eurofound (2007), William Sapcote and Sons, Bankruptcy in United Kingdom, factsheet number 65927, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/65927.