Unite has reported that the news was broken to staff in a meeting this morning with administrators from KPMG, who were appointed yesterday, with around 20 employees being kept on to complete work in progress.

Talks are believed to be continuing over a sale of the direct mail arm of the business. PrintWeek has learned that at least one competitor in the direct mail industry were contacted over the weekend with a view to making a bid for the company.

Meanwhile, a new company, Blackburns DMS, has appeared on Companies House registered to the same address as John Blackburn Limited, the company which formerly owned the assets of Blackburns. The purpose of this company is not yet clear.

According to Companies House, the directors of Blackburns DMS Limited are Ben Martin, Andrew Atkinson, Stuart Black and Andrew Cowman. Of these, only Stuart Black is not listed as a director of John Blackburn Limited.

No one was available for comment at KPMG or Blackburns.

UPDATED: This aticle has been amended as Stuart Payne has informed PrintWeek of his resigation as a director of Blackburns DMS on Monday. His name has been removed from the list of directors.