Eight Hewden depots sold by administrators

Eight Hewden depots have been sold by Hewden Administrators EY, following the announcement of the UK equipment rental business going into administration.

Depots in Bedford, Inverness, Whitehaven and Willenhall have been sold to Morris Leslie, with all 38 employees transferring to the new company. The Bangor and Warrington depots have been sold to JK Ashbrook, which has saved 16 jobs. Meanwhile, the Nottingham depot has been sold to Nixon Hire, with five jobs saved.

Colin Dempster, joint administrator for Hewden, said, “We are pleased to be able to arrange the sale of these depots as ongoing concerns, so that the employees and business can continue in these locations.”

In November last year, Ashtead Group acquired Hewden’s powered access, power and industrial ‘on-site’ businesses, plus the Hewden brand for £29 million (€33.88 million).

It was believed that the sale of the three divisions to Ashtead would save around 130 jobs, while 250 jobs had been lost.

EY confirmed that there were no remaining Hewden depots to be sold, with all its remaining kit to be sold at auction. It added, however, that there were still 113 people employed by the company.