Sheerness produce packer Fresh Fruit Services has been placed into liquidation.
Matthew Tait of BDO was named as liquidator on 12 October, with the firm subsequently instructing Hilco Appraisal to conduct a sale of the company’s assets, in particular the contents of the packhouse.
The products are due to be auctioned today following an inspection day on Wednesday, with the sale including everything from bar code printers and packing conveyor belts to flow wrappers.
A source claimed Fresh Fruit Services, which packed for several importers at Sheerness, was predominantly a victim of the Port of Sheerness’s decision to give notice to port-side fruit handlers following Peel Ports’ deal with wind turbine manufacturing company Vestas to take 70 hectares of land at the port.
“The port gave notice, so it was decided to close the business,” the source said, adding that Sheerness had been a destination of choice for many of the major retailers’ modern operations before the Vestas deal was announced.
In its last accounts filed at Companies House, Fresh Fruit Services recorded a pre-tax loss of £294,000 in the year to 3 January 2010, which represented an improvement from the £750,000 loss of the previous year. Gross profit rose from £562,000 in 2008 to £1.1 million in the latest available accounts.
The company specialised in the storage and handling of fresh fruit and related products at the Port of Sheerness.
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