Beloved British tea brand Typhoo has unfortunately fallen into administration after 121 years but a Manchester company could be set to save it from the jaws of insolvency.
Undoubtedly one of the biggest and best-known brands in the UK, not to mention the teabag of choice for millions up and down the country, Typhoo is a household name to most and has been a mainstay in supermarkets and newsagents for longer than we’ve been alive.
Despite its long-standing reputation and catering to a market of obsessive tea drinkers who aren’t going anywhere, the brew business has proved difficult for them, with a steady decline in sales and increasing losses year on year, as well as levels of debt creeping up to a now unsustainable point.
Financial advisory firm Kroll has now been appointed to handle the administration and find a buyer for the tea business, with a Manchester-headquartered company currently believed to be the frontrunner.
Supreme PLC is London-listed but has a HQ in Manchester.The old Tyhpoo factory which closed last year.Typhoo could be pulled back from the brink of administration. (Credit: Supreme via Facebook)/Rept0n1x via Wikimedia Commons)
Typhoo has been struggling to keep a foothold in the tea markets in recent years – suffering a significant setback when its Merseyside factory on the Wirral was broken into back in August 2023 – however, they have now been given a lifeline by a company just down the road in Stretford.
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According to industry news outlet, Proactive Investors, vape and battery distributors Supreme Imports (based over in Trafford Park) are now said to be in ‘advanced talks’ to buy the tea brand and save it from going belly up after well over a century on our shelves.
The Bristol-based veterans were acquired by Zetland Capital back in 2021 which looked to have stabilised finances for a little while, but despite steadying the ship in the immediate, the last three years have seen a return to turbulent times.
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While administration should keep them afloat while a sale is secured, there is still the matter of sizeable debt to be contested with; as of September last year, Typhoo owed more than £73 million to creditors – a whole £20m more than the previous year. In contrast, Supreme recently posted pe-tax profits of £14.7m.
Meanwhile, serious dips in revenue haven’t helped, with losses of around 25% recorded in the previous financial year and the closure of the Moreton plant (which contributed to approximately £24.1m worth of “exceptional costs”) leaving them at risk of going total collapse. It isn’t the heavyweight it once was.
Not for sale in Asda or Tesco for a long time. That doesn’t help!
Conversely, with a diverse portfolio including not only vapes and batteries but lightbulbs, protein powder and bars; other e-cigarette items, the Clearly Drinks brand and even Sealions sleep gummies, Supreme are in the position to potentially rescue Typhoo, although a buyout deal is not yet finalised.
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It’s unclear what the PLC will ultimately do with the brand should the acquisition be completed but it could prove to be a big coup if they can help it recover.
More importantly, with more than 100 jobs at risk throughout the company, not to mention Tyhpoo’s heritage as a historically significant domestic brand, we would love nothing more than to see the much-loved brew-makers back on their feet and livelihoods kept intact thanks to a local brand of our own.
Victim named and murder investigation launched after young woman is killed in Newton Heath stabbing
Emily Sergeant
The victim of a street stabbing in Newton Heath this week has been named for the first time as a murder investigation continues.
It comes after officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) responded to reports of a disturbance at around 2am yesterday (Thursday 15 October) on Dorking Avenue, in the Newton Heath area of Manchester, and when they arrived on the scene, they found a woman in her 20s with serious injuries that were ‘consistent with a stabbing’.
Despite best efforts of all emergency services involved, the young woman was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
As the murder investigation progresses, the woman has now been publicly named and a photo of her has been released for the first time.
She has been named as 26-year-old Alisha Samuels.
At this time, one man, aged 25, has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and a man and woman, aged 61 and 38, have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, and they all remain in custody – with officers continuing their enquiries to establish the full circumstances of this incident.
Alisha’s family have asked for privacy whilst they deal with the devastating loss of their loved one, GMP has stated.
“We are continuing to urge people who may have information in relation to this incident to please come forward to support our investigation and bring justice for Alisha,” the police force said in a public appeal.
Anyone who may have witnessed the incident, or has mobile phone, CCTV, or doorbell footage, is urged to call GMP on 0161 856 5464, or contact them via the Major Incident Public Portal here.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
Featured Image – GMP (Family Handout)
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Former supply teacher jailed for multiple upskirting and AI sex offences across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A former supply teacher has been jailed for multiple upskirting and AI sex offences in schools across Greater Manchester.
Abusali Rahman – a British national of Bangladeshi ethnicity from Salford – appeared in Bolton Crown Court this week for his sentencing after first being charged with, and then pleading guilty to, several offences.
The offences are including, but not limited to, 12 counts of taking an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child (images obtained by upskirting), three counts of making indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child (making AI-generated images), and one count of attempting to meet girl under 16 following sexual grooming.
The offences are alleged to have taken place between December 2023 and June 2025, according to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
Twelve girls have been identified in relation to the upskirting offences – aged between 13 and 16 at the time of the alleged offending – at seven high schools in three Greater Manchester boroughs (Bury, Bolton, and Salford).
GMP says it has remained in close contact with the schools, local authorities, and other partners throughout the investigation to ensure all appropriate support is in place for those who need it.
Additionally, the court also heard how Rahman amassed a collection of images of young girls, using AI and other methods to sexualise them.
The images numbered more than 300 in total, ranging from Category A to Category C classifications, and Rahman would post these on social media, often alongside humiliating and disgusting captions.
Rahman was sentenced to six years in prison, and will also be subject to a 20-year Sexual Harm Protection Order.
A former supply teacher has been jailed for child sex offences in schools across Greater Manchester / Credit: GMP
Detective Constable Lisa McGaffin, from GMP’s Bolton Child Protection Team, described Rahman’s crimes as ‘absolutely abhorrent’.
“My thoughts throughout this process have always been with the young girls who have been subject to such indignity,” DC McGaffin said following the sentencing this week. “Their welfare and support will always be a priority for us.
“While working as a teacher – someone who young children should trust and be safe with – Rahman repeatedly took secret photos for his own sick gratification, before posting images online which showed his total disregard for the girls’ respect and dignity.
Danny Jones -
29th November 2024 
