Directors of the company met on Friday and filed notice of intent to appoint administrators Matthew Hardy and Martin Coyne of Poppleton and Appleby on Friday (22 November), with the loss of all 16 jobs. 

“It’s devastating and there have been plenty of tears,” said managing director Andrew Lawrence, whose family has run the business for four generations. He cited market conditions and a general move online for the company’s demise. 

The bookbinding and finishing firm was originally founded by Henry Mills in 1855 and then joined by Lawrence’s great-grandfather William Lawrence, who became managing director of the incorporated business in 1914. 

“We’ve picked up all sorts of different trades over the years; manufacturing divider cards and account books was big for us but there is little call for it any more. It’s a shrinking trade and the combination of that and the recession has really taken its toll. 

“For the past three years we’ve been making losses and saying 'let’s hang on, next year will be better'. But it just hasn’t been and it’s finally caught up with us so we’ve very sadly decided to call a halt to it and pull the plug."

Lawrence said that although the company had debts, the majority were in loans and overdraft. “I would expect most of it to be furnished by the sale of our property and machinery,” he said. The business has around 50 pieces of equipment, he added.

Staff at Henry Mills were informed of the decision to close last Tuesday (19 November) with administrators called in on Friday when the shutters were closed on the three-storey, 2,000sqm facility. 

Confirming the business's intention to appoint administrators, Gavin Bates from Poppleton and Appleby said they would expect formal appointment to go though this Friday (29 November) and options for the business remained open.

“It is very early days from our point of view and we will explore every avenue. If there is a buyer out there then that would be great but only time will tell what will happen.”