80 jobs lost as Clifton enters administration

Clifton Quality Meats, which operates from three sites across Blackpool and a fourth in Yorkshire, has entered administration at a cost of 80 jobs.

The business had previously enjoyed £10m in annual over and had been trading for 100 years.

Clifton previously bounced back from losing a significant contract with Four Seasons.

However, adverse weather conditions had caused poor crop growth, affecting the availability of quality meat, and currency fluctuations caused by Brexit increased import prices.

In addition, Liverpool-based meat producer Russell Hume closed earlier in the year, which affected credit insurer sentiment, disrupting working capital.

Sarah O’Toole and Jason Bell, of Grant Thornton, were then appointed joint administrators to Clifton Quality Meats on August 24.

A spokesman for the joint administrators said: “CQM suffered multiple challenges in recent months and, despite continued support from other group companies, the directors were left with no alternative but to place the business into administration. “All staff, who had been laid off prior to our appointment, were made redundant on the 24 August 2018. We understand that a significant number of those affected have found alternative employment in the local area.”