Former director of Worksop-based Robinson's Caravan's issues statement following administration

David Robinson, an ex-director and owner, along with his father, of Robinsons Caravans has now made a statement to clarify certain information regarding the situation after the caravan and motorhome dealer was placed into administration earlier this month.

He added that he had not been contacted by the administrators at any point, saying he only learned about the administration from the press.

Robinson’s traded at two sites, in Chesterfield and Worksop, and also owned Golden Castle Caravans near Tewksbury, which was also placed into administration, but was immediately sold to Gloucestershire Leisure with 17 jobs being saved.

A spokesperson for Interpath Advisory, who have been appointed as administrators, said ‘certain parts’ of the remaining business and its assets had been sold to Storebon Holdings Limited, part of the Couplands Caravans group.

This has resulted in nine jobs at the Worksop dealership, on Gateford Road, being saved.

But the Chesterfield dealership has closed with the loss of 16 jobs.

Mr Robinson said: “We sold Robinsons Caravans in 2019 to Paul Seabridge, to be paid over an agreed period.

"Unfortunately, shortly after, Mr Seabridge was unable to maintain the payments and at this time he introduced us to MBH Corporation, a PLC listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, with the outstanding debt transferring to a bond maturing in 2025.

“When we sold the business it was solvent having unencumbered assets of around £4m, 74 staff and had been trading profitably since its formation in 1963.

"On February 23, 2024 we learned that the directors of MBH intended to file a notice of appointment at court on February 26.

"We hoped this wouldn’t affect the business’s within MBH, such as Robinsons.

“It was a shock a short time after to hear in the press that Robinsons Caravans had already been put into administration.

“We are extremely surprised that the administrators did not contact us at any time.

“We are extremely sorry for all our loyal employees, customers and suppliers that are affected by what has happened to the business and we look forward to the outcome of the administrators investigations into what has gone wrong since we left the business in 2019.”