The future of a factory in Cramlington hangs in the balance as administrators have set a deadline of tomorrow for potential buyers to register their interest.
H A Interiors, which manufactured self-adhesive borders and wall stickers, is a subsidiary of German company Alkor-Venilia, which entered administration on June 20 this year. In fact, the Cramlington factory had already closed its doors by this date, having run out of cash to pay suppliers.

Mercer and Hole were appointed administrators in the UK on July 7 and on July 8 made the site's 80 staff, who had not been paid for six weeks, redundant, in order to enable them to receive state support.

Speaking to DIY Week, Mercer and Hole partner Chris Laughton said, "We are looking to attract offers for the business as a whole to allow operations to restart in Cramlington. However, if nobody comes forward this week it's likely that we'll move towards a piecemeal sale in the early part of next week."

Current assets of the business include all stock, machinery and intellectual property as well as the lease on the site itself, although the exact terms of the lease are unknown to DIY Week.

H A Interiors had a turnover of £9m for the calendar year 2009, down from £11.2m the year before and £11.6m in 2007. Gross profit for the past three years was £3,694k in 2009, £4,283k in 2008 and £4,645k in 2007.

Interested parties should contact Mr Laughton on 020 7353 1597 or email chrislaughton@mercerhole.co.uk