A major UK construction plant dealer, trading for over half a century, has ceased trading and entered administration, resulting in the loss of nearly all its jobs.
Long-Standing Business Collapses
Warwick Ward (Machinery) Ltd, founded in 1970, appointed administrators earlier in December 2025. The Barnsley-headquartered firm, which was one of Britain's leading suppliers of earthmoving and waste recycling machinery, has made the majority of its 89-strong workforce redundant.
The administrators pointed to challenging economic conditions for the construction and recycling sectors as the primary cause. The company operated from three key sites: its head office in Barnsley, Yorkshire; a depot in Harlow, Essex; and a crucial Midlands depot in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.
Employee Ownership Trust and Mounting Debt
In a significant move, owner-directors Ashley and Matt Ward transferred the business to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) in June 2023. However, financial performance deteriorated sharply following this transition.
In the Wards' final full year of ownership, the company reported a healthy pre-tax profit of nearly £680,000 on sales of £51.2 million. After the shift to employee ownership, the firm recorded a substantial pre-tax loss of £1.3 million, with turnover falling 11% to £45.3 million.
Joint administrator James Lumb commented on the situation. "Employee ownership trusts can often be highly successful," he said. "However, the additional debt that many such companies take on as part of the sale to an EOT can prove to be a burden... In Warwick Ward's case, this debt was certainly a contributory factor."
Economic Headwinds Prove Fatal
Lumb stressed that the ultimate pressure came from wider market difficulties. "It was the wider economic headwinds buffeting the construction and waste recycling sectors that served to place unsustainable pressure on the company's cashflow," he explained.
The firm's Bromsgrove depot, located on Hanbury Road at the Harris Business Park, was a central hub for sales, hire, parts, and service for earthmoving and recycling equipment. Its closure marks a significant loss for the regional industry.
Before the administration, the company explored options for refinancing, a sale, or new investment, but these efforts were unsuccessful. The administrators' immediate focus is now on supporting the affected employees and assessing the potential of the firm's remaining assets.
