Irwin Mitchell Advises Administrator On The Deal

The future of a Yorkshire-based catering equipment business has been secured following the acquisition of its assets from Administration, resulting in the re-employment of around half of its 50-strong workforce.

Based in Pudsey and established in 1957, Hopkins Catering Equipment, will now be run by Hopkins Frying Ranges Limited.

The deal was secured by its Administrators James Sleight and Oliver Collinge of PKF Geoffrey Martin & Co. 

Doug Robertson and Philip Middleton, from the Restructuring and Insolvency team at law firm Irwin Mitchell, acted for the Joint Administrators on the sale.

Hopkins Frying Ranges Limited is run by Ferhat Akkaya, a fast-food entrepreneur and former customer of Hopkins, and Matthew Hopkins, a member of the Hopkins family which founded and ran the original business.

Administrator Oliver Collinge said “Hopkins is a historic Yorkshire business with first-class design and fabrication capabilities. The business was mothballed in mid-November as its cash position became untenable and since then we have been seeking a purchaser for this highly-respected brand and its assets. This is a particularly positive outcome as it provides for many of the Company’s workforce to be re-employed and we wish the new business every success in the future.”

Mr Akkaya, of RGM commented “We were delighted to conclude this deal and rescue a much-admired business and we look forward to continuing to serve Hopkins customers for many years to come. We have taken on around 20 of the business’s former employees and are still recruiting, with a particular interest in highly skilled sheet metal workers and fabricators.”