W H Darby Ltd manufactures chains of office, insignia, jewellery and more (Image: Getty)
A UK jewellery maker has collapsed into administration after being in business since 1886. Family-owned firm W H Darby was founded by Alfred Horatio Darby to produce medals, badges, die-sinks, and metal blocks used for jewellery and coins.
Administrators from business recovery specialists, Moorfields Advisory, were appointed by the High Court to manage the business, which is based in Birmingham‘s famous Jewellery Quarter. It means the business can still trade, but management control has passed from the company’s directors to administrators.
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W H Darby manufactures products for fraternal societies, including the Masons, Oddfellows, Probus and Rotary. Its range also includes badges of office, brooch bars, stick pins, cufflinks and tie slides.
According to the company’s website, W H Darby Ltd diversified from medals into sports trophies after World War Two, sparking “substantial growth” in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
The company was passed to Alfred’s granddaughter, Salie, and her husband, David, in 1983, when it first started trading under the name W H Darby Ltd.
Outcompeted by Chinese sports trophies, the firm specialised in manufacturing medals and enamel badges. When China entered the enamel badge market, the company was forced to adapt again.
The firm turned to the manufacture of insignia, winning a contract in 1991 to replace those stolen by the Iraqis in the First Gulf War from the Kuwaiti royal family.
Steve and Linda Hobbis bought the company in March 2005, focusing on bespoke jewellery, medals, insignia and state gifts. They are listed as the current owners on W H Darby’s website.
Moorfields Advisory and W H Darby were approached for comment.
News of W H Darby entering administration comes after another Birmingham-based jewellery business collapsed.
Andra Jewels Ltd went into administration on February 12, having traded since 1959.
The company faced several issues last year, including a drop in turnover, HMRC arrears, changes to credit terms with major suppliers and volatility in gold and silver prices.
Joint administrators from Moorfields managed to sell the company’s site in Hastings, saving 41 jobs. But no buyer could be found for the firm’s loss-making Birmingham site, leading to 11 redundancies.
Official figures from the Insolvency Service showed the number of company administrations jumped by 41% to 151 between December and January. This was also 14% higher than a year earlier.
The numbers led some experts to ask whether distress and insolvencies would continue to rise amid the pressures facing businesses in the UK.
