Headquarters belonging to a defunct fresh produce firm are expected to be sold early this year.
A Gomez Ltd, which distributed fruit across Europe and was based in Bridge, near Canterbury, appointed administrators in 2023 after a sudden shutdown, with the 10.4 acre site being marketed at £22 million.
The initial price was later reduced to £16.9 million, and administrators RSM have now confirmed that the sale of the freehold is expected to be finalised early this year.
This latest development is detailed in a report on the administrator’s progress, uploaded to Companies House in January, though further details could not be provided due to the “commercially sensitive” nature of the sale.
The documents also confirmed that employees have proceeded with efforts to claim a protective award. A protected award can be granted when more than 20 employees are made redundant from one location within specific time frames and when an employer has not complied with the collective redundancy consultation requirements.
It is further anticipated that the company will exit administration via a Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidation process before 10 December this year. This process entails the company closing down and a liquidator securing and realising any assets that the firm owns, reporting on the reasons for the company’s insolvency, assessing the conduct of the directors and submitting a conduct report to the Insolvency Service. Shareholder approval of 75% is required at which point a liquidator is appointed.
The firm currently owes more than £13 million, with HSBC being the leading creditor. A Gomez once farmed more than 3,250 hectares of land in Spain, while also maintaining smaller plots in the Netherlands and the UK.
Raquel Hernandez said in a letter to employees at the time of closure that financial pressures on the business meant shareholders and directors had to take the reluctant decision to “cease operations with immediate effect.”
It is understood that bosses at the firm had planned to wind down the business and cease trading between February and March this year – with the sudden closure taking many by surprise. On the same day that administrators were appointed, 426 employees were made redundant.
As late as 2022, A Gomez Ltd was looking to expand the Cold Harbour Lane site, with plans approved in September that year to make room for additional HGVs to stay overnight. Comprising four adjoining steel portal frame buildings, the headquarters include 18 docking levels, offices and a reception, as well as a temperature-controlled storage space and 300 parking spots.
Comments