Fountains Group, a major council contractor, has gone
into administration this week.
According to the BBC, 450 people have been made redundant as a result. However, most of the Fountains Group’s assets have been sold to Crawley-based facilities management firm OCS. Administrators say that the business sale will save over 1,500 jobs.
A spokesperson for the administrators told the BBC that the business sale was the best way forward to protect the future of the company. He said the firm had been “exposed to the difficult economic climate” but that the business could now move forward more confidently.
Fountains Group held contracts with Norwich City Council for services such as street cleaning, cemeteries, parks and trees. The council told the BBC it had been in touch with administrators on the continuation of the contracts “as a matter of urgency”.
Commenting on the business acquisition, Martin Gammon, managing director of OCS Group UK, said, “This is great news for everyone at OCS and a clear demonstration of our intention to further develop our strong position as a leading player in the UK FM market. By adding the Fountains brand and customer base to OCS, we will broaden our horticulture service offering to customers, whilst facilitating synergy with existing clients.”
