The producer equipped furnishings to various UK excessive avenue and unbiased retailers.
Main furnishings firm collapses – 297 staff made redundant (Picture: Getty)
Practically 300 staff have misplaced their jobs at a Welsh furnishings agency after it entered administration. Westbridge had been a well known furnishings designer and producer, offering sofas and different upholstered items to quite a few excessive avenue and premium unbiased retailers.
The corporate employed just below 300 employees at its facility in Holywell, Flintshire. In March, Chris Pole and Will Wright from Interpath had been appointed joint directors to Westbridge Furnishings Restricted and Belfield Leisure Restricted, based mostly in Derbyshire. They’d maintained each operations whereas evaluating market curiosity in buying them and defending the roles and amenities.
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Nonetheless, the joint directors launched an replace on Westbridge earlier this week, confirming that 297 workers had been dismissed, reviews Wales On-line.
They acknowledged: “Chris Pole and Will Wright from Interpath had been appointed joint directors to the corporate on March 23, 2026, following operational disruption, weak buying and selling and the lack of a key buyer. Since their final replace the joint directors had maintained operations at Westbridge Furnishings, whereas they accomplished excellent work in progress and assessed curiosity within the enterprise.
“With none viable affords for the enterprise, manufacturing ceased on April 2 and the enterprise progressed with a wind-up course of. It’s with remorse that almost all of the enterprise’ 297 remaining employees have since been made redundant.
“The directors will proceed to supply assist to these impacted, together with supporting them with claims to the Redundancy Funds Service. A small variety of employees have been retained to help the joint directors of their duties.”
Chris Pole, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator of Westbridge Furnishings Restricted, stated: “The group at Westbridge has proven distinctive professionalism in sustaining manufacturing whereas we explored choices.
“Regrettably, as no viable affords for the enterprise had been acquired, it was not potential to proceed buying and selling and we’ve needed to take the troublesome determination to shut the enterprise. We recognise this has been a difficult interval for employees and I would like to specific my honest thanks for his or her dedication.”
The joint directors have subsequently secured an settlement for the sale of unique mental property and design rights protecting the entire Westbridge unbiased product catalogue to couch and fabric producer Whitemeadow. The brand new proprietor intends to liaise with stockists of Westbridge merchandise to protect continuity wherever possible.
Chris Pole stated: “The settlement to promote the IP and design rights to Whitemeadow preserves Westbridge’s vary for retailers. We want the Whitemeadow group all the most effective because it embarks on a growth programme to reintroduce these designs to the market.” The joint directors are persevering with with working and assessing choices for Belfield Leisure Restricted, which additionally contains a part of The Belfield Group.
Specific.co.uk has contacted Westbridge for remark.
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