Broom goes into insolvency
Broom: boatbuilding goes into insolvency
It was only last month we carried the news that Broom Boats – after 112 years owned by the Broom family – was to have new owners in Mark Garner and Akis Chrisovelides, two businessmen who live and work in Norfolk.
INSOLVENCY: After 112 years under the ownership of the Broom family, Broom Boats was sold last month to two Norfolk businessmen, Mark Garner and Akis Chrisovelides.
‘In the longer term, we’ll be working on the next generation of Broom Boats,’ promised Mark Garner, the new chairman of the company.
But a statement released by the company today, September 1, tells a different story and says C J Broom & Sons Ltd, the boatbuilding company of Brundall Norfolk, is sadly to go into insolvency with the loss of up to 70 jobs. As Martin Broom told BB last month, many of those workers had been with the company through generations.
Broom Boats Ltd, the boat service company which operates the Broom marina, the mooring place of 150 privately-owned Broom and other boats, will continue to operate as normal. Broom Boats Ltd employs 50 people.
The action is part of a major reorganisation following both the sale of both companies to Mark Garner and Akis Chrisovelides just six weeks ago.
‘New Broom boat sales currently are weak. After several years of major boatbuilding losses amounting to more than a million pounds, we have had to call a halt to boatbuilding for the time being,’ said Mr Garner. ‘We hope to be able to resume this part of the business in due course.’
Mr Garner stressed all other parts of the Broom organisation – the marina, brokerage, repairs, refurbishment and waterside diesel, etc, were unaffected. The company will not be exhibiting at the PSP Southampton Boat Show.
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