Begbies Traynor Group

Administrators appointed for Cookeze Limited

Dean Watson of Begbies Traynor in Manchester.jpg
Date Published: 30/03/2020

Administrators have been appointed at Cookeze Limited, the Lancashire‐based
event catering firm partly owned by acclaimed chef Nigel Smith.

Dean Watson of the Manchester office of Begbies Traynor and Neil Dingley of
Moore in Stoke were appointed Joint Administrators of Cookeze Limited on
24th March, after the company ceased trading. 72 employees have been made
redundant.

The administrators are seeking interested parties who may be attracted by
recent major investment in state‐of‐the‐art commercial kitchen space at 48,000
sg ft headquarters in Chorley.

The firm, which traded as Patisserie by Nigel Smith, specialised in ‘artisan
patisserie’ and was founded in 2010 by Nigel Smith, a chef who has appeared on
several cookery TV shows. Flagship products included cakes, desserts, gateaux’s
and scones.

Clients of the company included Manchester United, Liverpool FC, Jockey Club
Brasserie Blanc and Malmaison Hotels Turnover last year was £1.5m.

Dean Watson, partner at Begbies Traynor, said:

“COVID‐19 has seen the sports‐related events where the company excelled
cancelled. The immediate cashflow challenge this presented as well as recent
significant investment in a high specification modern office complex and
commercial kitchen equipment has taken its toll.

“We are in the process of updating staff and providing information on how to
claim for their entitlements and advising creditors of the position. In the
meantime, we are looking for interested parties who may be strongly attracted
by the fact it was, until very recently, a successful business with blue chip clients,
talented staff and outstanding facilities.

“Sadly, this crisis will continue to severely impact many other similar eventsbased
businesses who are not geared up to weather the storm over the summer
of 2020.”

About The Author

Meet the Team

Dean is a Qualified Accountant (FCCA) and Licensed Insolvency Practitioner with over 25 years experience in the accounting profession.  Dean joined Begbies Traynor in 1999 after spending 10 years working in general audit and accountancy practice.  Based in the Manchester and Preston offices, he has worked on a variety of assignments including formal insolvency appointments and providing advice to various stakeholders in situations where financial distress is present.

Dean has gained significant experience in the Legal Sector after dealing with a number of distressed Legal and other professional services firms in recent years and jointly heads up the North West Professional Services team.   

As well as business reviews and formal insolvency appointments, practical solutions and hands on turnaround assignments have also been one of Dean’s main focuses. This has generally been in support of high street clearing banks and other financial institutions.

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