Celsius First depot to close
More than 150 staff at the Celsius First cold storage depot at King’s Lynn face redundancy unless a buyer is found in the next month.
While other depots run by the struggling cold storage and distribution firm were snapped up by Yearsley Group after Celsius collapsed in March, administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) has been unable to find buyers for depots in King’s Lynn, Bristol, Stratford and Hoddesdon.
While continuing interest is being expressed in Bristol and Stratford, “this has not been the case for King’s Lynn and Hoddesdon”, said a PWC spokesman. “Consequently we have announced to its customers and its 150 employees the managed exit of the King’s Lynn site.”
However, bosses at the Transport and General Workers’ Union (T&G) said they were hopeful a buyer might be found before the site was fully de-stocked and all the staff were laid off.
T&G regional organiser Mick Doherty said: “De-stocking will take about six to eight weeks, so we’re hoping someone will step in. From what we’ve heard, there has been interest, but the rent is too high.”
He added: “A lot of blue chip food manufacturers use this site.”
Given the large amounts of stock held at King’s Lynn “it will take some time to complete the closure, after which the leasehold will be handed back to the landlord”, said the PWC spokesman.
“Pinguin, another tenant on the site, is unaffected by the decision and has made arrangements directly with the landlord for the continued occupation and services of the site.”
He added: “Employees have been informed of this decision and will continue to be paid while their services are still required, after which they will be made redundant. The Job Centre Response Unit has been notified and will be on site to assist staff in finding alternative employment.
The head office in Hoddesdon, which employs nine staff, will close over the next five weeks.
