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JBT still trading, despite MRS Distribution collapse
Page 7
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CA COVER STORY
roger.browniarbi.co.uk 1BT DISTRIBUTION will continue to trade despite parent company MRS Distribution going into administration last Friday.
Donald Carmichael, one of the former directors at MRS and a current director of JBT, tells CM that MRS and JBT were "always separate businesses" and the problems at MRS -never affected JBT".
Carmichael and Ian Wilson (another director of both firms) have led a management buyout of JBT, which has acquired the entire Scottish operation of MRS, based in Bathgate, West Lothian, with 96 employees transferring to JBT with immediate effect. MRS acquired JBT, which has a turnover of il5m, two years ago.
Carmichael says: "We tried very hard to find a way for MRS to carry on.
-Very sadly. MRS was hit by difficult trading conditions and the business wasn't able to turn itself around.
"HIT has continued to trade profitably during the past IS months. It is a fully independent business, fully funded and is ready to go forward and trade strongly." In a separate transaction, a significant part of MRS's English business has been sold to I .iverpool-based Bibby Distribution.
A total of 103 employees have transferred to Bibby, with the remaining 43 MRS employees made redundant.
Bibby has also taken over two contracts formerly run by MRS.
These are with packaging manufacturer Board 24, operating from Preston. Lancs. and Coalville. Leics, and with plastics firm Greif UK in Ellesmere Port. Cheshire and Burton-on-Trent. Staffs.