Glens of Antrim Potatoes Ltd, the company behind the Glens of Antrim crisp brand, has ceased trading and entered administration after 54 years in business. The firm, founded in 1972, supplied potatoes to retailers across the UK and Ireland before launching its own crisp brand in 2015. The crisps were stocked by major UK supermarkets including Tesco and Sainsbury's.
Administrators appointed
The company, based in Cushendall and Ballymena, stopped trading after collapsing into administration. Stuart Irwin, Ian Leonard, and Robin Coughlin of Interpath were appointed as joint administrators on September 21.
Mr Irwin, who is also managing director at Interpath, said: "Glens of Antrim has been growing and supplying potatoes across Ireland for over 50 years, so this is a tremendously sad outcome for the business, its dedicated team, the agri-food sector in Northern Ireland, and the wider community in Ballymena and Cushendall."
Job losses and cause
Glens of Antrim employed 95 staff, but most have now been made redundant, with only a small number kept on to support the administration process. The company collapsed due to rising costs across the agri-food sector, which placed immense pressure on businesses throughout the supply chain. As a result, Glens of Antrim faced significant cash flow challenges and had to close down.
The directors explored options including refinancing and seeking new investment, but nothing worked. The administrators are now seeking interest in the business and its assets, inviting any potential buyers or parties interested in acquiring the business to contact them immediately.
Other recent administration
This is not the only company to enter administration recently. True Brit Entertainment, a major UK film distributor, also plunged into administration after three years of operation. The company specialised in acquiring UK rights for major theatre releases, including the recently released Hugh Jackman film, The Death of Robin Hood. Founded by veteran film executive Zygi Kamasa in 2023, the company helped co-finance and produce a number of British film and TV projects. It was announced at the end of September that the business had been put in administration, with administrators appointed to the firm earlier last week, citing "extremely challenging market conditions".
