Christopher Lawton and Gary Lee, partners at Begbies Traynor, were appointed as joint administrators of Thomas Dornan (Printers) Ltd on 29 June and are now seeking interested parties to acquire the company’s assets.
Initial interest had been sought for the sale of the Oldham-based business and assets as a whole but offers were not forthcoming. The company, which was founded in 1848, specialised in litho, digital, and large-format printing.
Lawton said in a statement: “This is an historic company which has its roots in the birth of the printing industry in this country. The business was hit hard by the impact of the pandemic and recent business challenges meant the director explored every option before entering the company into administration.
“In the absence of any parties seeking to purchase the business and assets as a whole, we are now seeking parties who may be interested in acquiring the assets on a breakup basis. Any interest to acquire all assets will also continue to be considered.”
The company’s assets are up for online auction with Eddisons, with a closing date of 18 August.
The 71 lots listed at the time of writing included a raft of print and finishing kit from manufacturers including Konica Minolta, Roland DG, Epson, Heidelberg, MBO, and Horizon, plus paper and vinyl stock, other warehouse kit including trollies and pallet trucks, and various office furniture.
According to unaudited abridged accounts for the period ended 31 May 2022, filed at Companies House, the company employed 15 staff on average during 2022, the same number as in 2021. Its total net assets were valued at just shy of £228,000, down from just over £291,000 the previous year.
Begbies Traynor did not answer further questions sent by Printweek regarding affected staff, company turnover, and if/when the business had ceased trading, but Thomas Dornan’s phone numbers cut out or were going straight to voicemail at the time of writing.
The company’s website describes the business as “a one-stop-shop for all commercial print” that serves sectors including education, hospitality, manufacturing, financial services, print management, advertising, and design.
Clients it lists having worked with include Nestlé, Harrods, NHS, Superdrug, BBC, Warburtons, Levi’s and RBS.
