Jobs saved as takeover deal for Oswestry firm agreed

Crewe-based Greenfingers Landscape Limited has acquired the contracts of former Oswestry landscaping and ground maintenance company P&W Maintenance Contracting, which fell into liquidation last year owing £1.7 million.

The company says the move will save about 45 jobs from the Oswestry company, although it will not be retaining a handful of office staff because it is opening a new operation in Llandrindod Wells to service the work.

On-the-ground staff who delivered the contracts for P&W, which entered liquidation in November, will transfer to the new company and continue their work delivering services across Shropshire and Mid Wales.

The move to Mid Wales reflects the fact that Greenfingers recently won a £3 million four-year contract to provide grounds maintenance for Powys County Council.

Steve Higginbottom, managing director of Greenfingers, said: "This is a very significant step for Greenfingers.

"The acquisition of the P&W contracts has enabled us to expand into a new geographical area and open another depot at Llandrindod Wells to service the work in addition to the Powys contract. This means that not only can we provide employment for the P&W staff, but we can also open up possibilities to create further employment opportunities in the area.

"It is great to welcome new staff to the Greenfingers team. Our employees are incredibly important to us, they are our shop window, so we invest a lot of time and money into training, IT and equipment.

"We believe in providing people with the opportunity to shine and the chance of long term career progression."

The company hopes the deal can end 12 months of uncertainty for staff at the collapsed Oswestry company, and sees Greenfingers take over all its assets.

The new contract base has also meant that Greenfingers can extend its services to include cemetery, park and highways maintenance, and increase its geographical spread to cover Shropshire and Wales.

Mr Higginbottom said: "We are immensely pleased to be moving forward with these new contracts and maximising the opportunities this will provide for both the business and our employees.

"We pride ourselves on our high contract retention, so we are confident we will provide our new customers with exceptional service levels enabling us to provide staff with exciting ongoing career prospects."

Greenfingers has been established for 25 years and will now employ more than 250 people across 11 depots, with a turnover of more than £10 million.