The UK’s third-largest sandwich maker Adelie Foods has permanently ceased trading after its administrator was unable to secure a swift rescue package.

Deloitte, which was appointed on as administrator for Adelie last Tuesday, said today that the temporary cessation of trade was now permanent, resulting in 2,169 redundancies.

Deloitte said it had undertaken a “very rapid” assessment of the options available in the absence of any funding to enable ongoing trade.

It said a previous sale process had resulted in an agreed going concern sale, but that it was not possible to implement the deal due to a key regulatory approval not being forthcoming.

“Covid-19 has presented huge challenges to this business given the lockdown measures and associated impact on the ‘food to go’ sector,” said Rob Harding, joint administrator at Deloitte. “It is very unfortunate that we couldn’t enact the previously agreed sale and it is with sadness that we now have to announce such a significant number of redundancies.

“This is a very difficult time for the group’s employees and other key stakeholders. We will do everything we can to support them through this and would like to thank all for their continued support.”

At the time of the appointment of administrators, Adelie operated from three manufacturing facilities and five distribution centres across the country.

Dealmakers told The Grocer last week there were serious doubts as the whether a willing buyer would be found for the sandwich maker, given the current pressures on the food-to-go market and Adelie’s reliance on café and non-supermarket customers.

However, City sources did suggest existing players in the market such as Greencore and Samworth Borthers may be more open to buying the factory assets of Adelie as demand for food to go returns over the coming months.

The CMA estimated that Adelie controlled between 10% and 20% of the UK sandwich market, meaning there were a significant number of clients who currently had no sandwich and fresh food-to-go supplier as they prepared to reopen to the public.

The administrator has retained some 22 employees to help with the administration process. 

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