Jobs saved at Ripon employer as acquisition promises concrete future

Ebor Concretes Ltd had been facing an uncertain future due to ongoing financial difficulties, but it was bought by Nottinghamshire-based JP Concrete Products Ltd in a deal that saved it from closure.

JP Concrete Products director Philip Cavalier-White said: “We are delighted to have been able to secure the future for Ebor Concretes’ factory and staff. We saw great value in the team of people and are excited about the future as we develop the site and staff as part of our wider business.”

The acquisition represents a potential return to stability following a prolonged period of uncertainty for the firm.

Founded in 1942, Ebor Concretes remained under family ownership until its sale to Amber Precast in 2016. But the precast concrete specialist then experienced trading difficulties and entered liquidation in 2019, risking the loss of 30 jobs. It was saved when David Brennan stepped in and acquired it, safeguarding some of the jobs.

However, the firm struggled with the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on workloads and cashflow, and entered administration in November 2021.

Leeds-based Armstrong Watson’s restructuring and insolvency partners Rob Adamson and Mike Kienlen were engaged to help with an accelerated sale, which they managed to close despite Mr Brennan’s unexpected death in late November.

Mr Adamson said: “Our job is to help people and businesses address their challenges and find solutions.

“The director’s sudden passing caused a few issues, however we worked with the family who were keen to proceed with the sale.

“The strategy was simple – keep the business trading whilst we tried to complete the sale process. After a challenging 10 days of trading the business, we managed to complete a sale to the third party at 6pm on 16 December 2021.”

JP Concrete Products has sites in Nottingham, Devon, East Sussex, Liverpool and Yorkshire.