6 days ago
Directors speak out as Andrew Wright Windows ceases trading
Mark Bradford and James Fraser say that "insurmountable challenges" led to the decision to cease trading at both Andrew Wright Windows and Andrew Wright Glass.
The pair acquired the company from its original founders in August 2023, with the business having a presence in Ayrshire for the past 87 years.
It has now been confirmed that 83 employees have been made redundant after joint provisional liquidators from Opus Restructuring and Insolvency were appointed today (Wednesday, August 6).
'This is a profoundly sad moment for all at Andrew Wright," Mr Bradford and Mr Fraser said.
'Over two years, we have done everything we could to turn the business around, but the challenges have proved insurmountable.
"We are truly sorry for the impact the closure will have on our employees, customers, and the wider community.
"We will work now with Opus to support our employees and stakeholders through the transition.'
Andrew Wright Windows was a well-known and respected company within the construction industry and provided primarily windows and doors for social housing, local authorities, domestic and commercial construction, as well as private and residential customers.
This week, North Ayrshire Council announced that the company was one of three businesses awarded a near-£1m contract to supply and manufacture windows for the local authority.
However, problems were said to have arisen with the business due to a "significant slowdown" in the industry over the financial year 2023/24.
This led to a reduced turnover of 35 and 60 per cent for Andrew Wright Windows and Glass, respectively.
The liquidators revealed that both companies then experienced significant cashflow challenges, while wrestling with a variety of other factors, such as contract tendering, the rising cost of raw materials and increasing staff costs.
This left the directors with "no option" but to seek the appointment of provisional liquidators, who will now be providing support to all impacted employees.
Provisional liquidator Mark Harper said: 'The collapse of Andrew Wright Windows Limited and Andrew Wright Glass Limited is another indicator of the challenges and economic headwinds currently facing the Scottish construction sector.
"The directors fought hard to save these long-standing businesses, but the construction industry has experienced several challenges over recent years, and this impacts heavily throughout the supply chain, putting businesses under increased pressure.
"Our priority is to assist those members of staff who have been made redundant, providing them with the information and support they need to claim their statutory entitlements from the Redundancy Payments Office, as well as to support the owners, for whom this is also an extremely difficult time.'
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A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: 'We can confirm we received notification from the company today that they have withdrawn from the tender process.
"We are saddened to hear of the reason for their withdrawal and offer our sympathy to those affected.
"No payments have yet been made and there are other suppliers appointed for the contract.'
