Administrative receivers have taken over at Hartlepool door manufacturer Bridgman IBC Ltd and Architectural Panel Products (APP) Ltd of Norfolk.

The move follows Ernst & Young‘s appointment as receivers to the two firms’ parent company Brand Holdings Ltd and its other subsidiary Dale Joinery Ltd of Rochdale.

Ernst & Young said it regretted having to make 17 of IBC‘s 85 employees redundant for economic, technical and organisational reasons.

A spokesperson said: “The remaining employees are aware of the current situation and I must stress that we are now working hard to pursue all possible options for the sale of the company. However, it is too early to comment on the likely outcome at this stage.”

IBC was established in 1982 and manufactures doors and doorsets for commercial and public sector use, working closely with architects, specifiers, interior designers, shopfitters and construction companies.

APP, formed in 1988, employs 14 people at its site in Watton, where it produces door and furniture panels.

The receivers are continuing to trade both companies with a view to being sold as going concerns.

  • Ernst & Young is in negotiation with “various parties” regarding the sale of Dale, which has seen 64 staff laid off at its Queensway site in Rochdale and a further five at Lichfield.

    Dale had gone into administrative receivership after several months of difficult trading and an earlier, failed attempt to sell the business.