Molson Group Limited, one of the UK's largest independent suppliers of plant and machinery to the construction, demolition, ports, and recycling and waste management sectors, has entered administration. The collapse has resulted in 203 immediate redundancies across the UK, including at its Scottish subsidiary based in Motherwell.
The Bristol-headquartered firm employed 345 people across the UK. Administrators were appointed on Friday, November 6, according to a statement from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
Administrators Appointed Across the Group
Tom Crookham, Mark (Toby) Banfield and Ross Connock of PwC have been appointed joint administrators of Molson Group Limited (MGL). Vesela Romagnoli joins Crookham and Connock as joint administrator of Molson Equipment Services Limited (MES), Capital Equipment Finance Limited (CEF), Aggregate Processing Solutions Limited (APS) and Molson Scotland Limited (MSL).
The Molson Group operated from 16 locations across the UK, providing a wide range of construction and materials processing equipment. It entered the Scottish market after acquiring Young Plant Sales in 2016, later rebranding as Molson Young Plant Sales and then Molson Scotland. The group's Scottish arm operated from a yard at the Newhouse Industrial Estate, Lauchope Road, in Motherwell.
Redundancies and Wind-Down
Connock, joint administrator and director at PwC, said: "It is regrettable that Molson Group's UK businesses have entered administration and that this has resulted in a significant number of redundancies. We recognise how difficult this will be for those affected and their families. Our immediate priority is to support affected employees through the redundancy process, while working with other stakeholders to undertake an orderly wind-down of the UK businesses and maximise value from the companies' assets."
The Molson Group suffered financial difficulties in recent months and faced near-term funding needs driven by challenging macroeconomic factors, including weakened UK demand and uncertain trading conditions. Administrators explored several options, including selling the UK operations and assets, but no buyer completed a deal in time, resulting in the business being wound down.
US Operations Sold Separately
Immediately after the appointment of joint administrators of Molson Group Limited, the group sold the shares it held in its US businesses to a newly incorporated company. Molson Group's shares in its American operations were transferred to Fieldsec Hastings Limited along with a small number of UK staff and all US employees.
Connock added: "The sale of the US businesses means those operations can continue outside the UK Group, preserving the business and employment there."
