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Creditors left hanging as butcher folds BY CHRIS RUNDLE AND TINA ROWE wdbusiness@b-nm.co.uk One of the South West’s bestknown butchery chains has collapsed with debts reportedly running into millions of pounds. Gerald David and Family, based in Minehead, went into liquidation at the end of last week, leaving more than 50 staff facing an uncertain future. An administrator has been appointed to run its affairs. Apart from its two shops in
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Staff facing uncertainty due to the difficult situation at Gerald David Minehead the company had six others including units in Taunton, Dulverton and Cheddar, all supplied from the company’s own abattoir in Porlock. There are other outlets at Darts Farm, Topsham, and at Puxton Park, near Westonsuper-Mare. It also ran a mobile unit which appeared at shows such as the Bath and West and Devon County. At one time the business was one of the most successful in the South West food sector. Mr David, who started with one side-street shop in the 1970s, drove a top-of-the-range Bentley and clients were invited to week-ends aboard his ocean-going motor cruiser.
But there were less successful ventures into a lingerie business and a wet fish shop, and two hotels, one in Culbone, near Porlock, and the other in Dunster, both of which ultimately failed. And things started to go badly wrong last year when it was ordered to pay fines and penalties of £15,000 after being prosecuted by Trading Standards. The company had built its reputation on sourcing beef and lamb from Exmoor, with its shops, vehicles and website using images of sheep and cattle grazing on Exmoor. But a lengthy investigation revealed some of what was being sold as local meat had in fact come from animals bought in the Midlands. Earlier this year, Gerald David officially retired from the business and went to live in Spain, handing everything over to sons Alistair and Philip. But the abattoir was reported as having closed some days ago after a dispute with meat inspectors over unpaid bills and over the week-end unsold goods and equipment were removed from most of the shops. The company’s debts are reportedly in the millions, with creditors including livestock auctioneers and bacon and cheese suppliers. Dairy farmer Derek Mead, Puxton Park’s owner, said arrangements were being made to take the butchery outlet back in house and to carry on trading there. Despite strenuous efforts the Western Daily Press was unable to contact the David family yesterday.
Inflation worry risks growth Britain has the highest inflation rate in the European Union, according to figures from the 28-nation bloc’s official statisticians. The 2.7 per cent annual CPI inflation rate recorded in the UK in September was well above the overall EU rate of 1.3 per cent and the 1.1 per cent in the eurozone, said Eurostat. By comparison, inflation was zero per cent in Ireland, one per cent in France and 1.6 per cent in Germany, while prices are falling year on year in Bulgaria, Greece and Latvia, according to the Eurostat figures. Labour Treasury spokeswoman Catherine McKinnell said yesterday: “This is yet more evidence of the cost-ofliving crisis facing families across Britain after three years of this Government’s failing policies. Prices have now risen faster than wages in 39 out of 40 months under David Cameron and now we learn that we have the highest rate of inflation of any EU country. “David Cameron is so out of touch he thinks people are better off, but working people are over £1,500 worse off since he came to office.”
Future brighter for publisher
One of the region’s biggest chains of butchers’ shops has gone into administration. Gerald David, pictured above, retired to Spain earlier this year, but his eponymous chain went into administration last week, it is understood
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West Country publisher Future said it was on course to deliver a dividend for the first time since 2011, as it announced that results to the end of September will meet expectations. Future, whose titles include Total Film and technology magazine T3, as well as games and music websites, said there was “encouraging momentum” across all trading areas. Advertising bookings for the first quarter of the 2014/15 year are up more than 30 per cent, amid good progress reshaping the business.
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