Mark Roach and Graham Randall of Numerica in Bristol were appointed as joint administrative receivers on Monday (6 December) at the request of Avalon's directors.

The Bristol firm had suffered problems following the acquisition of local rival Christies earlier this year, from which it had just recovered when it was hit by a bad debt of 108,000 after the administration of Wace in Swindon.

"The bad debt from Wace just pushed it over the edge," said Roach. "When companies like Wace go there tends to be a knock-on effect down the chain."

As PrintWeek went to press Avalon managing director Nigel Cuming was unavailable for comment. Roach said he believed Cuming was hoping to set up a new firm.

Story by Barney Cox