Company Number: 01989870
C Fullard (Metals) Limited, a fourth-generation scrap metal business based in Willenhall, West Midlands, entered administration on 27 February 2026. This case involves a connected pre-pack administration in the UK, where the business was sold immediately to a director-linked company while unsecured creditors are left exposed.
Connected Pre-Pack Administration in the UK
Joint administrators Conrad Beighton and Kirsty Swan of Leonard Curtis were appointed, and an immediate sale of the company’s business and assets was completed on the same day for £80,000 to Fullard Bros (2006) Limited.
Companies House records confirm that Stephen Charles Fullard is, or was, a director of both C Fullard (Metals) Limited (the company in administration) and Fullard Bros (2006) Limited (the purchasing company). This establishes the transaction as a connected pre-pack administration in the UK, where the business and assets of an insolvent company are acquired by an entity under the control of the same individual.
The connected party relationship is not referenced within the Statement of Administrators’ Proposals filed on 13 March 2026, nor in any of the business publications reporting on the pre-pack.
Business Continuity After Pre-Pack Sale
Before administration, C Fullard (Metals) Limited operated from Unit 60/64 Owen Road Industrial Estate, Owen Road, Willenhall, WV13 2PZ, which served as both its registered office and principal trading location. Fullard Bros (2006) Limited has the same registered office and continues to operate from the Owen Road industrial estate, maintaining continuity of the business at the same site. All 13 employees of C Fullard (Metals) Limited were transferred to Fullard Bros (2006) Limited under TUPE regulations.
£1.2m Unsecured Creditors Left Without Recovery
The administrators’ report states that unsecured creditors are owed approximately £1.2 million, with no likelihood of any dividend being paid to those creditors.
There are many differing views on the use of pre-packaged administrations. On one hand, they can preserve a viable business, protect employment, and maintain continuity of trade. In this case, 13 jobs have been retained, and the business continues to operate.
However, this must be weighed against the outcome for creditors. In this instance, unsecured suppliers are collectively owed approximately £1.2 million, with no anticipated return.
From a credit risk perspective, this is a familiar outcome. The business is preserved, but the loss falls on trade creditors. Cases involving connected pre-pack administration in the UK continue to raise concerns for unsecured creditors and suppliers.
Pre-pack administrations will continue to play a role in business rescue. However, cases like this underline the need for proactive credit control, real-time intelligence, and shared information to reduce repeat exposure.
At NPD & Company and through The Credit Control Room portal, our focus is simple — to help businesses get paid, reduce credit risk, and avoid situations where losses become unavoidable.
We specialise in commercial debt recovery and proactive credit control across the UK, supported by access to the NPD Credit Information Database, which provides real-time trading intelligence gathered from across our network of businesses.
We genuinely believe that, in many cases, prevention is the only cure.
If you are experiencing late payments or concerns about a customer’s financial position, early action is critical. Our team can assist with commercial debt recovery and provide practical credit control tools and support through The Credit Control Room portal.
If you have a problem, speak to us — a timely conversation can often make the difference between recovery and loss.
