Months after completing a £22.5m deal to acquire ecommerce rival, Victoria Plum, Victorian Plumbing is planning to shut down the brand.
Up to 100 jobs could be at risk as a result of the proposed move.
Doncaster-based Victoria Plum went into administration a year ago and was acquired in a pre-pack by AHK Designs. Then, in May, Victorian Plumbing bought AHK Designs Ltd for £22.5m.
The original plan was to run the two companies separately in the short term.
At the time, Mark Radcliffe, the CEO of Victorian Plumbing called it “another exciting strategic milestone for the company and, together with the investment in our new distribution centre, provides a unique opportunity to deliver increased shareholder return.”
It had expected the Doncaster brand to break-even in the second half of this year.
Victorian Plumbing has entered a consultation period with the staff involved.
The company provided the following statement:
“Following the acquisition of AHK Designs Ltd, we are proposing a closure plan for VictoriaPlum.com. As a result we have entered into a consultation period with a number of VictoriaPlum.com colleagues and only when the period completes can we provide an update. We are committed to keeping all employees, suppliers and connected parties up to date as we progress with the consultation. This proposal does not impact Victorian Plumbing Ltd.”
