Mon, 16 Mar 2026 | BUSINESS SALE
A Rotherham-headquartered group of metal recycling companies have been acquired from administrators by a local counterpart. The business and assets of CF Booth have been acquired out of administration by Ron Hull Jnr Limited subsidiary Hu11 Limited.
CF Booth Limited fell into administration on January 16 2026, with James Lumb and Howard Smith of Interpath Advisory appointed as joint administrators. On January 20 2026, Lumb and Smith were appointed as joint administrators to five subsidiary companies: Booth Steel Stockholders Limited, C.F. Booth (Doncaster) Limited, C.F. Booth (Engineering) Limited, Booth Transport Limited and Northfield Aluminium Limited
On March 10 2026, Lumb and Smith were appointed as joint administrators of two additional CF Booth subsidiaries: Demex Limited and Albion Jones Limited.
Immediately following this latest appointment, the joint administrators completed a sale of substantially all of the businesses and assets of the eight firms to Hu11 Limited. The deal secures all 29 jobs at the Demex and Albion Jones businesses.
Founded in Rotherham in 1920, CF Booth grew from a local metal trader to establish itself as one of Europe’s largest independently-run metal recycling companies. Prior to the appointment of the joint administrators, the group employed 168 staff, but 114 were made redundant upon the company entering administration.
According to administrators, CF Booth had faced “significant trading difficulties”, with these problems reportedly exacerbated by rising costs for energy and copper, increases to the National Living Wage and a range of regulatory pressures.
In the year to March 31 2024, CF Booth Limited reported turnover of £113.6 million, down from £135.6 million a year earlier, while falling from an operating profit of £929,000 to a loss of nearly £4.7 million.
Ron Hull Group was founded in Rotherham in 1976 and provides a range of waste recycling and metal recovery services, with the Ron Hull Jnr division being one of the North of England’s largest scrap metal traders.
Interpath Advisory Managing Director and joint administrator James Lumb commented: "The Ron Hull name is synonymous across South Yorkshire for scrap metal trading, so we are pleased to have concluded these transactions which not only preserve jobs for employees of Demex and Albion Jones but which we hope, in due course, will also see operations recommence at CF Booth's former sites in Rotherham."
Ron Hull Jr Limited director Nigel and Mark Hull said: "As a business which has operated in Rotherham for 50 years, we're pleased to have been able to secure this transaction which reaffirms our commitment and support to the local area.”
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