Administrators have revealed the state of failed Harrogate firm Amvoc’s finances.
The telemarketing company, which was based at Cardale Park, collapsed and was placed into administration in March this year.
Staff were left shocked on March 17 when they received a late night email from chief executive Damian Brockway saying “all our offices are closed with effect from tonight”. It went on to blame “covid debts”.
A statement of affairs published by administrators Lewis Business Recovery and Insolvency showed the company owes £546,534.71 to preferential creditors against assets of £302,802.63.
This includes wage arrears, holiday pay and pension contribution arrears.
The company also owes £1.2 million to HMRC, which is classed as a “second preferential creditor”.
It also has £868,267 worth of unsecured creditors.
Hemel Hempstead-based data marketing firm, Aura Media Group, is owed £154,467.38 and is among the highest creditors on the list.
Founded in 2010
Mr Brockway set up Amvoc, the trading name of A Marketing Vocation Ltd, from a small office in Dacre in 2010. It sold telemarketing services, initially in the legal sector, and grew rapidly, moving first to Pateley Bridge and then to large offices at New York Mills near Summerbridge.
It opened a new head office on Cardale Park in Harrogate in 2015, a facility in Leeds in 2018 and an office in Manchester in 2022. It also had plans to expand to London.
Amvoc’s clients included BP, Barclays, Virgin Media, Leeds Beckett University, and both the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties.
When the Stray Ferret tried to contact Mr Brockway following the collapse of the company, an immediate email response said:
“I regret to inform you that Amvoc has been forced to cease trading with immediate effect due to financial difficulties.
“We understand that this news may come as a shock to many of you, and we want to assure you that we are doing everything possible to manage the situation.
“We are in the process of contacting all our staff, clients and partners to inform them of the situation and provide any necessary information. We apologise for any inconvenience or disruption this may cause, and we are committed to minimising the impact on our stakeholders as much as possible.”
Read more:
- Law firm to represent about 100 staff at failed Harrogate firm
- Hundreds of job losses as Harrogate company goes under
- Collapsed Harrogate firm Amvoc set to enter administration
Its website said it employed 450 staff but the Stray Ferret believes the figure at the time the company collapsed was under 300.
Twenty-three former employees found work with Brighton-based One-Family, which was a former customer of Amvoc.
Meanwhile, Law firm Atticus said in the days after Amvoc’s collapse it had been contacted by 145 former employees.
The law firm said it was investigating the circumstances of the company’s collapse and concerns around how the redundancy process was managed, as well as whether ex-staff are eligible to claim for compensation.