"One of Northern Ireland's biggest employers faces a crunch week as
Wrightbus, which employs 1,400 staff, attempts to stave off collapse by
securing a last-minute rescue deal.

Mounting financial problems at the Ballymena-based company have left it
looking for a buyer, with the Chinese engineering group Weichai and a
firm led by the JCB heir, Jo Bamford, understood to be the suitors in
talks. However, local MP Ian Paisley told the BBC on Friday he
understood talks with the two potential buyers had failed to reach a
conclusion."

https://www.theguardian.com/business.../22/wrightbus-
riutemasters-last-minute-search-for-buyer-avoid-collapse

[Love the Grauniad typo in the url!]
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry wrote:
"One of Northern Ireland's biggest employers faces a crunch week as
Wrightbus, which employs 1,400 staff, attempts to stave off collapse by
securing a last-minute rescue deal.

Mounting financial problems at the Ballymena-based company have left it
looking for a buyer, with the Chinese engineering group Weichai and a
firm led by the JCB heir, Jo Bamford, understood to be the suitors in
talks. However, local MP Ian Paisley told the BBC on Friday he
understood talks with the two potential buyers had failed to reach a
conclusion."

https://www.theguardian.com/business.../22/wrightbus-
riutemasters-last-minute-search-for-buyer-avoid-collapse

[Love the Grauniad typo in the url!]

See the previous thread on the same subject from five weeks ago.

In message , at 15:21:18 on Sun, 22 Sep
2019, Recliner remarked:
"One of Northern Ireland's biggest employers faces a crunch week as
Wrightbus, which employs 1,400 staff, attempts to stave off collapse by
securing a last-minute rescue deal.

Mounting financial problems at the Ballymena-based company have left it
looking for a buyer, with the Chinese engineering group Weichai and a
firm led by the JCB heir, Jo Bamford, understood to be the suitors in
talks. However, local MP Ian Paisley told the BBC on Friday he
understood talks with the two potential buyers had failed to reach a
conclusion."

https://www.theguardian.com/business.../22/wrightbus-
riutemasters-last-minute-search-for-buyer-avoid-collapse

[Love the Grauniad typo in the url!]

See the previous thread on the same subject from five weeks ago.

Five weeks is a long time in politics (later today Thomas Cook might
find out that five days is, too)
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 15:21:18 on Sun, 22 Sep
2019, Recliner remarked:
"One of Northern Ireland's biggest employers faces a crunch week as
Wrightbus, which employs 1,400 staff, attempts to stave off collapse by
securing a last-minute rescue deal.

Mounting financial problems at the Ballymena-based company have left it
looking for a buyer, with the Chinese engineering group Weichai and a
firm led by the JCB heir, Jo Bamford, understood to be the suitors in
talks. However, local MP Ian Paisley told the BBC on Friday he
understood talks with the two potential buyers had failed to reach a
conclusion."

https://www.theguardian.com/business.../22/wrightbus-
riutemasters-last-minute-search-for-buyer-avoid-collapse

[Love the Grauniad typo in the url!]

See the previous thread on the same subject from five weeks ago.

Five weeks is a long time in politics (later today Thomas Cook might
find out that five days is, too)

Indeed. Wright is probably right down on Boris's list of concerns, behind
Jennifer Arcuri, the Supreme Court verdict, the party conference, the EU
negotiations, the looming election, …

In message , at 22:13:40 on Sun, 22 Sep
2019, Recliner remarked:
"One of Northern Ireland's biggest employers faces a crunch week as
Wrightbus, which employs 1,400 staff, attempts to stave off collapse by
securing a last-minute rescue deal.

Mounting financial problems at the Ballymena-based company have left it
looking for a buyer, with the Chinese engineering group Weichai and a
firm led by the JCB heir, Jo Bamford, understood to be the suitors in
talks. However, local MP Ian Paisley told the BBC on Friday he
understood talks with the two potential buyers had failed to reach a
conclusion."

https://www.theguardian.com/business.../22/wrightbus-
riutemasters-last-minute-search-for-buyer-avoid-collapse

[Love the Grauniad typo in the url!]

See the previous thread on the same subject from five weeks ago.

Five weeks is a long time in politics (later today Thomas Cook might
find out that five days is, too)

Indeed. Wright is probably right down on Boris's list of concerns, behind
Jennifer Arcuri, the Supreme Court verdict, the party conference, the EU
negotiations, the looming election,

I doubt he's worried very much (unless the factory is in a DUP area) but
it's simply anther example of Boris + Bus (be that painted-on-the-side
or painted-as-a-hobby, as well as Roastmaster) looks like a fatal
combination.
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry wrote:


Indeed. Wright is probably right down on Boris's list of concerns, behind
Jennifer Arcuri, the Supreme Court verdict, the party conference, the EU
negotiations, the looming election,

I doubt he's worried very much (unless the factory is in a DUP area) but
it's simply anther example of Boris + Bus (be that painted-on-the-side
or painted-as-a-hobby, as well as Roastmaster) looks like a fatal
combination.

When he said he painted model buses as a hobby I still haven’t decided if
he was telling the truth ( is he capable?) or was just having a joke at the
expense of those who often refer to that campaign bus with the somewhat
misleading slogan on the side.

As for all those other problems taken in isolation each one could be a
niggle but when there are so many at once none of them can be concentrated
on so he will probably ride them out relying on the “cant see the wood for
trees “ principle.

GH

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 22:13:40 on Sun, 22 Sep
2019, Recliner remarked:
"One of Northern Ireland's biggest employers faces a crunch week as
Wrightbus, which employs 1,400 staff, attempts to stave off collapse by
securing a last-minute rescue deal.

Mounting financial problems at the Ballymena-based company have left it
looking for a buyer, with the Chinese engineering group Weichai and a
firm led by the JCB heir, Jo Bamford, understood to be the suitors in
talks. However, local MP Ian Paisley told the BBC on Friday he
understood talks with the two potential buyers had failed to reach a
conclusion."

https://www.theguardian.com/business.../22/wrightbus-
riutemasters-last-minute-search-for-buyer-avoid-collapse

[Love the Grauniad typo in the url!]

See the previous thread on the same subject from five weeks ago.

Five weeks is a long time in politics (later today Thomas Cook might
find out that five days is, too)

Indeed. Wright is probably right down on Boris's list of concerns, behind
Jennifer Arcuri, the Supreme Court verdict, the party conference, the EU
negotiations, the looming election,

I doubt he's worried very much (unless the factory is in a DUP area) but
it's simply anther example of Boris + Bus (be that painted-on-the-side
or painted-as-a-hobby, as well as Roastmaster) looks like a fatal
combination.

I'd love to see an example of his claimed painted-wine-box bus. I wonder if
he dreamed up that phoney hobby on the spot, or if his spin doctors had
carefully connected.

In message , at 16:13:12 on Sun, 22 Sep 2019,
Roland Perry remarked:

"One of Northern Ireland's biggest employers faces a crunch week as
Wrightbus, which employs 1,400 staff, attempts to stave off collapse by
securing a last-minute rescue deal.

Mounting financial problems at the Ballymena-based company have left it
looking for a buyer, with the Chinese engineering group Weichai and a
firm led by the JCB heir, Jo Bamford, understood to be the suitors in
talks. However, local MP Ian Paisley told the BBC on Friday he
understood talks with the two potential buyers had failed to reach a
conclusion."

‘Administration now inevitable,’ says Paisley:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-49818156

A week to find a buyer. Probably this month's wages bill which has
pushed them over the edge.

In other news, Uber London given two months to prove it's fit and proper
for a new licence:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49810049
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 16:13:12 on Sun, 22 Sep 2019,
Roland Perry remarked:

"One of Northern Ireland's biggest employers faces a crunch week as
Wrightbus, which employs 1,400 staff, attempts to stave off collapse by
securing a last-minute rescue deal.

Mounting financial problems at the Ballymena-based company have left it
looking for a buyer, with the Chinese engineering group Weichai and a
firm led by the JCB heir, Jo Bamford, understood to be the suitors in
talks. However, local MP Ian Paisley told the BBC on Friday he
understood talks with the two potential buyers had failed to reach a
conclusion."

‘Administration now inevitable,’ says Paisley:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-49818156

A week to find a buyer. Probably this month's wages bill which has
pushed them over the edge.


I hadn't realised that the UK bus market was in such decline:

"Latest accounts show that the Wrightbus group lost £1.7m on a turnover of
£227m in 2017.

But its financial situation has deteriorated since then.

It made two rounds of redundancies last year with 95 jobs going in February
and June, which it said reflected continued low levels of demand for new
buses in the UK market.

The UK has traditionally been Wrightbus's biggest market but it has been
contracting for over two years.

Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show
that in the second quarter of this year new bus and coach registrations are
down 30% compared to the same period last year.

That marks the tenth quarter in a row that new registrations have
declined."

In message , at 07:24:09 on Wed, 25
Sep 2019, Recliner remarked:
Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 16:13:12 on Sun, 22 Sep 2019,
Roland Perry remarked:

"One of Northern Ireland's biggest employers faces a crunch week as
Wrightbus, which employs 1,400 staff, attempts to stave off collapse by
securing a last-minute rescue deal.

Mounting financial problems at the Ballymena-based company have left it
looking for a buyer, with the Chinese engineering group Weichai and a
firm led by the JCB heir, Jo Bamford, understood to be the suitors in
talks. However, local MP Ian Paisley told the BBC on Friday he
understood talks with the two potential buyers had failed to reach a
conclusion."

‘Administration now inevitable,’ says Paisley:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-49818156

A week to find a buyer. Probably this month's wages bill which has
pushed them over the edge.


I hadn't realised that the UK bus market was in such decline:

"Latest accounts show that the Wrightbus group lost £1.7m on a turnover of
£227m in 2017.

But its financial situation has deteriorated since then.

It made two rounds of redundancies last year with 95 jobs going in February
and June, which it said reflected continued low levels of demand for new
buses in the UK market.

The UK has traditionally been Wrightbus's biggest market but it has been
contracting for over two years.

Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show
that in the second quarter of this year new bus and coach registrations are
down 30% compared to the same period last year.

That marks the tenth quarter in a row that new registrations have
declined."

We are on the verge of a recession, the future looks uncertain, and your
fleet is probably fully compliant with latest regs. Why as an operator
would you start buying new buses?

Of the bigger bus operators, only Go-Ahead are doing well, with both
First and Stagecoach in trouble.
--
Roland Perry