Yorkshire Meatball Co ceases trading
The collapse of the business follows a £123,000 crowdfunding campaign last year to launch in supermarkets and open two new franchised restaurants, BigHospitality's sister site MCA has reported.
Administrator Geoffrey Martin & Co said the company’s difficulties arose from historic losses from its restaurant operations, which father and son founders David and Gareth Atkinson have previously blamed on an influx of chain restaurants to the town.
In a statement following the closure of its Harrogate site Yorkshire Meatball Co said it had hoped to ‘return with a foodservice concept’ in the near future, but it has never managed to do so.
The company secured listings for a trio of chilled meatballs in more than 140 Morrisons stores across the UK, alongside regional listings for a combined 80 Asda and Tesco sites, but the delisting of its range in September by Morrisons meant the business could no longer continue.
Investors are unlikely to get a return on their investment.
James Sleight, joint liquidator at Geoffrey Martin & Co, said: “The company’s financial difficulties arose from a culmination of the historic losses from its restaurant operations and insufficient working capital to promote its products to a wider audience.
“Whilst repeat demand for its products was strong and the company had been able to build up a loyal consumer following it was sadly not sufficient for the supermarkets and all products were withdrawn at the end of September.
“Despite repeated attempts by management to source further investment for the business to build on its initial success, the company ran out of funds and ceased to trade."
The collapse of the business comes after research from Accountancy firm Moore Stevens warned that 20% of UK restaurants are at risk of going bust due to rising costs.
Large chains such as Byron, Prezzo and Jamie's Italian have all closed sites this year, while Handmade Burger Co went in to administration in July.
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