GRIMSBY SEAFOOD PROCESSOR GOES INTO ADMINISTRATION

Grimsby seafood processor goes into administration. James Clark and Howard Smith from Interpath Advisory were appointed joint administrators to Cook & Lucas Frozen (UK) Limited on 20 January 2023.

The Company is an established importer, processor and supplier of seafood and whitefish, operating a smokehouse and processing plant in Grimsby. It processes white fish for Hilton Foods to supply Tesco and also supplies smoked haddock used by Charlie Bigham’s in its premium fish pie ready meal.

On 10 January 2023, the Company abruptly closed its plant in Grimsby, with approximately 80 members of staff being laid off. Following this unannounced closure, the Company’s secured lender took steps to protect its position and sought the appointment of the joint administrators.

James Clark, managing director at Interpath Advisory and joint administrator, said:

“Given the circumstances surrounding our appointment, our immediate priority is to take steps to secure the Company’s assets, while seeking to gather further information about the Company’s financial position.”

The most recent accounts available for Cook & Lucas Frozen (UK) at Companies House – for the year ended 3 April 2021 – showed net profits soared from £230k to £1.5m on revenues of £24m. Accounts showed that the company had managed to survive the Covid pandemic in relatively good shape

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