Jobs go at troubled Sanderson

Around 120 jobs are going at wallpaper maker Sanderson.

The job losses come after receivers were called in when the company ran out of cash, it was confirmed on Friday.

Most of the jobs are going with the closure of manufacturing plants in Blackburn, Lancashire, and Bolton.

Other jobs are going at its headquarters in Denham, Buckinghamshire.

But the business, which traces its history back to 1860, continues to trade with a staff of 180 while receivers at accountants Deloitte & Touche try to find a buyer.

William Morris

Neville Kahn, administrative receiver at Deloitte & Touche, said: "Sanderson was in the final stages of the business turnaround.

"However due to adverse trading conditions in the second quarter, combined with restructuring costs, the company exhausted its facilities."

Sanderson has customers in 60 countries and operates 90 retail outlets in the UK - primarily concessions in other stores with a handful of stand-alone shops.

Mr Kahn was upbeat that a buyer could be found for the company.

Royal warrant

Its archives include designs by William Morris and Pugin - who helped design the Houses of Parliament.

The business has been owned by management and Dutch private equity firm Gamma since 1998.

It was set up by Arthur Sanderson in 1860 to import French wallpapers before moving on to print its own, originally by hand block, in 1879.

The company, which received a royal warrant in 1955, designs its own products based on a 25,000-strong archive of originals.