Restructuring at the Belfast business involved employees being made redundant on 16 August with a reduced number of ‘new’ jobs then available at the Bradley Group’s Quinnstheprinters and Nicholson Bass operations, which operate from the same site.

Quinns specialises in online trade printing, while Nicholson Bass focuses on books, magazines and high-end print such as fine art work. 

It’s understood that 14 staff have lost their jobs as a result.

Former employees told PrintWeek that they had since received their P45s and an email confirming they had been made redundant, but had not received any notice or redundancy payments beyond an initial £200 “to cover expenses”.

The redundant staff had previously been told that further information would be forthcoming on Tuesday 27 August, then Friday 30 August, and now this has been pushed back until Tuesday 3 September.

Bradley Group is said to be working with employment law and HR specialists ELAS Group.

In June Bradley Group companies Bradley Group (UK), Quinns Belfast (2009) and Nicholson & Bass had debentures registered by the NI Growth Loan Fund for secured loan facilities.

Invest Northern Ireland launched the taxpayer-funded £30m Growth Loan Fund II in October 2018. At the time it was described as “providing loans ranging from £100k-£500k for growing businesses with an export focus”.

The fund is managed by WhiteRock Capital Partners, which declined to comment on the parameters around the Bradley Group’s loans.

In 2017 Bradley Group also received £500,000 from the Merseyside Special Investment Fund High Growth Business Investment Programme, to help it set up a new facility in Speke, near Liverpool.

That site was shut down at the beginning of this year.

Bradley Group managing director Peter Bradley had been expected to provide an update on the firm’s plans this morning, but had not commented at the time of publication.

The Bradley Group has sales of around £14m and also includes commercial printer Mannin Group on the Isle of Man.