Doncaster factory snapped up by new owners after collapsing into administration

Bawtry Carbon, which went out of business in January, has been acquired by Watling Real Estate for an undisclosed sum on behalf of private clients.

The site was formerly a brickworks but was more recently the premises of the firm which manufactured carbon cathode blocks for the aluminium smelting sector for more than 50 years.

The business was placed into administration on 31 January this year with the loss of more than 100 jobs after efforts to sell the business failed.

The new owners have acquired the entire site, along with Bawtry Carbon’s plant and machinery.

Alex Sweetman, a director of Watling Real Estate’s Leeds office, said they had moved swiftly to conclude a deal on behalf of their clients.

“We were able to complete the transaction in just two weeks. This site is a fantastic opportunity for our clients. It is a large scale brownfield site located in the residential community of Austerfield and Bawtry.

“Our clients showed commitment and were able to move quickly to close the deal, illustrating the confidence we’re seeing in the current market for well-located assets with potential. Moving forward, we look forward to working with our clients with on forthcoming plans for the property.”

The firm blamed the company’s collapse on tough economic trading conditions, the war in Ukraine and the Covid pandemic.

Last month a worker at the factory said employees had been left in shock and said: “There was a meeting and the factory was closed, out of the blue.

"There had been problems though and the lack of money was obvious.”

Bawtry Carbon had been backed by Enact, a private equity fund, since 2019 after initally going into administration.

Chris Cormack, partner in Enact, Bawtry Carbon’s majority shareholder, said: “We are naturally disappointed not to have led an ultimately successful turnaround of Bawtry Carbon, which we backed through a management buy out in 2019.

“Over the last four years and through our period of investment, we have been very supportive of the business committing significant capital on acquisition of the business in 2019, and injecting further capital in 2023.

"However, the events of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine have been felt throughout the industry.”