Mon, 29 Sep 2025 | ADMINISTRATION
C Brown & Sons (Steel) Limited, a longstanding steel firm based in Dudley, has fallen into administration, with part of the company being acquired by Kingswinford-based USP Steels Limited in a pre-pack deal.
The Brierley Hill business, which provided steel-processing, stock-holding and distribution services, had paused operations last month, a decision it described at the time as a temporary measure while it “evaluated strategic options”.
However, Julian Heathcote and Paul Meadows of Teneo Financial Advisory Limited were subsequently appointed as joint administrators. Upon their appointment, the joint administrators secured a sale of part of the business and its assets to leading steel stockholder and service centre USP Steels.
The pre-pack acquisition sees USP Steels acquire the company’s steel decoiling and stockholding business. The deal secured 28 jobs at the company, but approximately 75 redundancies were announced by the joint administrators, with C Brown’s remaining operations, including its profiling and Cebron motors divisions, being wound down.
Joint administrator Julian Heathcote commented: “This transaction preserves part of C Brown’s business and safeguards 28 employees. Unfortunately, despite approaching a number of parties and receiving inbound interest, we were unable to secure a more positive outcome for the rest of C Brown’s operations.”
USP Steels CEO Glyn Costigan said that the acquisition would strengthen the firm’s business, making it “more competitive and better positioned”.
He added: "The acquisition of the C. Brown’s decoiling and stockholding business not only strengthens our business and its capabilities but also reinforces our long-term commitment to remaining at the forefront of the steel industry.”
"With much-needed increased capacity, and a renewed focus on 100% in-house processing, USP Steels is now stronger, more competitive and better positioned to serve the market today and tomorrow.”
In accounts for the year to May 31 2024, C Brown & Sons reported turnover of around £42.6 million, down from approximately £57.3 million a year earlier, while operating losses widened from around £18,000 to nearly £1.6 million.
At the time, its fixed assets were valued at £7.2 million and current assets at £20.2 million, with total equity amounting to £21.2 million.
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