There has been confusion around the situation for former employees of the two Belfast businesses since 14 workers lost their jobs as part of a restructure at the Bradley Group more than a month ago.

Printweek has learned that ex-employees have now been told to contact JBK & Co, a Belfast accountancy and insolvency specialist.

The firm’s principal James Kennedy said: “We have been consulted by the directors of the company and are deciding whether to take on the appointment, once we’ve completed our investigations into the underlying circumstances. We don’t take insolvency appointments lightly.”

“We are assisting in the meantime by getting the necessary forms in place [for former employees to claim redundancy from the State], reducing further delays and uncertainty for the people affected.”

A spokesman for the Bradley Group said it could not comment as the limited companies were now under new ownership, although the new ownership structure is yet to be registered at Companies House.

Company directors are required to report any change in a ‘person with significant control’ to Companies House within 14 days.

John McGrath was appointed as a director of both Quinns Belfast (2009) and Nicholson & Bass on 14 August. Bradley Group managing director Peter Bradley resigned as a director on the same day.  

According to the most recent filings at Companies House, Bradley Group (UK) was registered as having a controlling interest in Quinns Belfast (2009) in June. Bradley Group 2017, registered in the Isle of Man, has a controlling interest in Nicholson & Bass.

The trading names of Nicholson Bass and Quinnstheprinters.com are still in use by the Bradley Group (UK), operating from the Mallusk factory near Belfast that was originally home to Nicholson & Bass.

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