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Manchester company set to rescue beloved tea brand Typhoo from administration

A Greater Manchester PLC has the chance to be the hero.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 29th November 2024

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.

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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.

Fingers crossed.

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News

Family of ‘loving’ Harpurhey mum pay touching tribute to her as man is charged with murder

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Clare Burns

The family of a ‘loving’ Harpurhey mum have paid a heartfelt tribute to her as a man has been charged with murder.

The tribute has been released after Greater Manchester Police (GMP) was called to an address on Queens Road, in the Harpurhey area of Manchester, in the early hours of the morning at 4:07am this Monday just gone (7 April).

Sadly, despite the speed with which officers arrived on the scene, a 51-year-old woman was found dead on arrival.

GMP has now confirmed her identity as Clare Burns. 

Paying tribute to Clare following her passing, her family wrote: “Clare was a loving mother, auntie, sister and daughter. She was funny, outgoing and a very independent person. She was also kind, generous and friendly to anyone she met. 

“Clare would always light up the room she entered, and she was a brilliant friend to many. We will miss her dearly.”

With a murder investigation subsequently launched, a 55-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder at the scene, following initial enquiries.

The family of a ‘loving’ Harpurhey mum have paid a touching tribute to her as a man is charged with murder / Credit: GMP

Leonard Lee Stewart, from Manchester, has been charged with murder, and the 54-year-old remained in police custody ahead of his next appearance at Manchester City Magistrates’ Court today (Wednesday 9 April).

Due to past contact between GMP, and the victim and suspect, it’s been confirmed that the Professional Standards Directorate have made a voluntarily referral to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) – which is now assessing the case. 

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Anyone with any information about this case is asked to contact GMP via the case’s major incident portal here, or by calling the incident room on 0161 856 3635.

Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Featured Image – GMP

News

New driving test cancellation rules introduced by DVSA to reduce waiting times

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Booking a driving test

Learner drivers will now be required to give longer notice periods when they need to cancel their driving tests in a bid to reduce waiting lists.

Up until this week, anyone who had booked a driving test which they could no longer attend had to change or cancel their appointment within three full working days notice, but now, as of yesterday (8 April), the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) requires learner drivers to give 10 days’ notice.

If learners fail to provide the 10 full working days’ notice, then they will not be able to redeem their test fee back.

According to the DVSA’s new rules, only Monday to Saturday count as working days, while Sundays and public holidays do not.

But why has the change been introduced?

Well, according to the DVSA, lots of people who are not ready to take their driving test leave it until right at the last moment to change or cancel it, and although that appointment then becomes available to other learner drivers, many of them tend to go unused, given the fact it’s so close to the test date and they may not feel prepared enough.

So, the DVSA hopes that by asking learner drivers to give more notice, it should give other people more chance to use the appointment, and ultimately reduce driving test waiting times.

Woman driving a car
New driving test cancellation rules have been introduced by the DVSA to reduce waiting times / Credit: pxfuel

There are, of course, some exceptions to the rule, with some learners still being able to apply for a refund at short notice if they have an illness or injury, have suffered a bereavement, have to take a school or college exam, or have their provisional driving license stolen.

On top of this, the DVSA has confirmed that it will continue to pay out-of-pocket expenses for any car driving tests that it has to cancel with fewer than three full working days’ notice.

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The DVSA is urging learner drivers to cancel their driving test if they cannot attend, rather than just not turning up.

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