Nidderdale smokehouse and farm shop appoints liquidators

A food business based in Nidderdale has gone into voluntary liquidation owing more than £1 million.

Mackenzies Smoked Products Ltd appointed Clark Business Recovery last week to oversee its liquidation.

Papers filed with Companies House reveal it owed £1,025,690.40 to 156 other companies. Among its debts is almost £45,000 to HMRC for VAT, PAYE and National Insurance contributions.

The sole director, Paul James Palmer, was appointed in October 2019, when he and wife Gabby took over the Blubberhouses company from Robert and Stella Crowson, who founded it in 1999.

As well as a smokehouse, Mackenzies runs a farm shop and cafe, both of which remained open today.

In documents filed as part of the liquidation process, Mr Palmer reserves the right for MFS&C Limited to use the trading names of Mackenzies, Mackenzies Farm Shop, and Mackenzies Farm Shop and Cafe.

MFS&C Limited was set up by Gabby Palmer in November last year and she remains its sole director.

The rights to the trading names of the Yorkshire Smokehouse, the Yorkshire Smokehouse at Mackenzies, Mackenzies Smokehouse and Mackenzies Smoked Products are reserved for use by Yorkshire Speciality Foods Limited, set up by an Andrew Robert Butler in September 2022.

Mr Palmer is a former director of Bleikers Smokehouse, which was founded by his wife’s father, Jurg Bleiker, who left the business in 2006. Mr Palmer resigned from Bleikers in 2019.

Mackenzies opened a coffee shop on Cardale Park last spring, but it has since closed and been replaced by a separate venture.

The Stray Ferret contacted Mackenzies and Clark Business Recovery about the liquidation but was told nobody was able to give any further information.

Read more:

Bleikers, which fell into administration last May, is under investigation by the National Food Crime Unit. In an update issued last month, investigators said:

“The National Food Crime Unit continue to investigate the former Bleiker’s Smokehouse in Leeming, North Yorkshire.

“To date, four people have been interviewed under caution and enquiries around the former Bleiker’s Smokehouse business practices continue.

“Thanks to the North Yorkshire police for their support during the investigation.”

The company’s administrator, FRP Advisory, last posted an update in December. It indicated the company’s assets, including stock and machinery, had been sold.

Harrogate’s former Graveley’s fish and chip restaurant closes

Catch Seafood, which bought the former Graveley’s fish and chip restaurant in Harrogate, has closed.

A spokesman for the company confirmed today all five Catch restaurants had ceased trading and the company had gone into administration, with the loss of 60 jobs.

It is the third major blow for Harrogate’s hospitality sector in a matter of days, with Samsons restaurant and restaurant and cocktail bar 63rd+1st also closing.

Catch bought Graveley’s in 2019 and reopened the restaurant on Cheltenham Parade in April last year after a £250,000 refurbishment.

Changing such a well known name was controversial.

Many people made a beeline for Graveley’s on trips to Harrogate, with former chat show host Michael Parkinson once describing his perfect day as watching Joe Root score a century in an Ashes Test at Headingley followed by a big plate of fish and chips at Graveley’s.

Read more:

A Catch spokeswoman said at the time the restaurant reopened.

“Graveley’s is an institution in Harrogate so we appreciate it is going to be a big thing to change the name.”

The new venue boasted a champagne and oyster bat as well as cocktails. But 18 months on it has served its last customer.

Catch also had fish and chip restaurants in Holmfirth, West Vale, Headingley and Street Lane.

The spokesman for the company said today he had been advised not to comment until the liquidation process was underway.

 

 

Jennyfields cafe enters liquidation

Mrs Smith’s Cafe in Jennyfields, which has been closed since April, has gone into liquidation.

The family-friendly community cafe was situated in a unit on Jennyfields Shopping Centre next door to the Co-op.

It offered food and drink and had a play area for children.

However, a post on the cafe’s Facebook page from April 26 said it was closed “until further notice” and it’s remained empty since.

It appears the cafe will not be reopening as Wigan-based Focus Insolvency Group was appointed to liquidate the business last week.

Two of the four units on Jennyfield Drive are now empty. The Rainbow Room library and St Michael’s Hospice charity shop remain open.

Read more:

 

Love Brownies goes into liquidation but Harrogate store to stay open

Love Brownies has gone into liquidation but said that its Harrogate store, which is a franchise, will stay open.

The company said it had suffered  “unsustainable” losses and liquidators were appointed to its Ilkley headquarters at the end of last week.

Lee and Chantelle Teal set up Love Brownies in 2009 with the “ambition of baking the ultimate chocolate brownie and making people smile”. It went onto to win three gold stars from the Great Taste Awards in 2015 and expanded rapidly with a new bakery at Howgill.

In a statement included in correspondence sent to creditors it said:

“Whilst the expansion had led to increased revenues, the company has also been adversely affected by covid, significant increases in raw material costs and spiralling expansion costs. As a result of this, the company incurred significant losses of £359,095 in the 10-month period to May 2022 which were unsustainable.

“The impact of these losses on cashflow resulted in the directors seeking investment from a third party known to them who had expressed an interest in purchasing the company.

“Unfortunately, after a period of working with the private investor, a suitable offer was not received and ultimately the directors sought advice to place the company in liquidation.”

Mr Teal told the Stray Ferret however, that the Harrogate store on Montpellier Parade would stay open as it is franchised but other parts of the business, including the flagship store in Leeds Victoria Gate had been closed and staff made redundant. He added:

“Chantelle and I would like to thank everyone who has been with us through a very difficult time. Our plan now is to rebuild Love Brownies from the bottom up. The Harrogate store is fantastic. It’s still the original team, they do a great job for us and they will keep going.”

Read More:

 

Harrogate firm Yorkshire Resin Coatings goes into liquidation

Harrogate firm Yorkshire Resin Coatings Ltd has ceased trading and gone into liquidation.

A resolution for winding-up the company was posted on the public record website The Gazette today.

The company specialised in resin-bound driveways and patios. Its trading address was Hartwill House, Hookstone Avenue.

Founded in 2005, its customers included Grantley Hall, a luxury hotel near Ripon. Former Harrogate Grammar School student Mark Kennedy was its managing director.

The company’s last accounts posted on Companies House, for the financial year ending July 27, 2020, said it had 12 employees.

The Gazette listing says Manchester insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor has been appointed liquidator.

The Stray Ferret contacted YRC’s public email address for a statement but we did not receive one at the time of publication.

Enquiries about the liquidation can be made to Jo Hudson at jo.hudson@btguk.com

Read more:

 

General Tarleton goes into voluntary liquidation

The General Tarleton pub, on the outskirts of Knaresborough, is to be wound-up.

According to a resolution posted on The Gazette, agreed by director Suzanne Topham, a meeting took place on September 30 on the premises in Ferrensby.

At the meeting the owners agreed to a voluntary wind-up of the business.

Leeds company Begbies Traynor was appointed as the joint liquidator of the company.

Suzanne and John Topham have owned the gastropub since 2005. The venue had acquired a fine reputation for food but had not reopened since closing during lockdown.

Read more:

The owners also run The Alice Hawthorn pub and restaurant in Nun Monkton.

The Stray Ferret tried to contact the couple for comment but they had not responded by the time of publication.

Goose play centre set to go into liquidation

Children’s play centre Goose is set to go into liquidation.

The company, based on Hornbeam Park in Harrogate, issued a notice on Saturday seeking a decision from its creditors on the nomination of a liquidator.

A virtual meeting is set to be held on August 21, when a resolution to wind up the company will be considered. Creditors are expected to be contacted directly to attend the meeting, but anyone who has not been contacted can get details of the meeting from nominated liquidator Kieran Bourne of Cromwell & Co Insolvency Practitioners in Coventry.

Prior to the coronavirus lockdown, Goose was a popular destination for families, offering play and craft facilities as well as a cafe area.

Director Rachael Howard set up the business as Goose Playspace Ltd in September 2017. It had previously been open under the same name and closed suddenly in July 2017.

Harrogate gym in liquidation after ‘economic challenge’ of lockdown

Gambaru Fitness has gone into liquidation after the owners spoke of the “economic challenge” of remaining closed for four months.

Jonathan Walker opened the Harrogate gym on Station Parade in 2006. He appointed liquidators on Friday to sell the company’s assets.

The gym is named after the Japanese phrase “to be the best you can be” and was open 24 hours a day. Jonathan Walker and John Walker were co-directors of the business from the outset.

Gambaru Fitness had in recent years opened up an “Adversity Awards” to recognise young people who had kept going when it was easier to give up.

Read more:

It did not reopen on July 25 when the government gave gyms the green light. At the time, the gym owners said the announcement came with “challenging guidelines”.

The Stray Ferret attempted to contact Gambaru Fitness but received no reply by the time of publication.

In the gym’s most recent Facebook post on July 23, it said:

“Due to ongoing negotiations, and business restructuring, at this present time we do not have an official opening date. We appreciate this may be frustrating, however we are sure you will understand the economic challenge we are under after being closed for four months. We are hopeful to have positive news shortly so please watch this space.”

Despite the gym’s closure Diveshack UK, which had a shop at Gambaru, is still open for business and will continue to trade remotely while discussions with the landlords continue.