A popular crisp brand which was previously sold in major supermarkets all over the UK has sadly fallen into administration and ceased trading. After 54 years in business, Glens of Antrim Potatoes Ltd has gone under and will no longer be making snacks.
The company, which was founded in 1972, supplied potatoes to retailers across the UK and Ireland. Then, back in 2015, they launched the Glens of Antrim crisp brand. Several major retailers in the UK, such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s, were stockists of the crisps.
The company, based in Cushendall and Ballymena, has stopped trading, having collapsed 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.”
Glens of Antrim employed 95 staff, but most have now been made redundant, and only a small number have been kept on to support the administration process.
The reason that the company has unfortunately went under is down to rising costs across the agri-food sector, which puts immense pressure on businesses throughout the supply chain.
As a result of this, 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.
However, this isn’t the only company which has entered administration recently. True Brit Entertainment, a major UK film distributor, also recently plunged into administration after three years of operation. The company specialised in acquiring the 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”.