National Timber Group placed into administration, over 560 jobs lost

Sheffield-based National Timber Group England Ltd and parent company National Timber Group Midco Ltd have entered administration after prolonged trading pressures and tightening liquidity overwhelmed one of the UK’s largest independent timber distribution and processing businesses. Michael Magnay, Gemma Quinn and Jonathan Marston of Alvarez & Marsal were appointed joint administrators on 26 November and immediately began an accelerated sale process for all or parts of the group.

The administration marks a sharp reversal for a business that had expanded rapidly through acquisitions since 2018 under its private equity ownership, bringing legacy brands such as Arnold Laver, Thornbridge, Rembrand and NYTimber into a single national platform. The group operated 47 sites across England and Scotland, supplied 25,000 customers in residential construction, RMI, infrastructure and general joinery, and reported £300 million of revenue in 2023. Yet the same period saw a £22 million pre-tax loss as demand contracted due to higher interest rates, soft housing activity and a weaker RMI market that historically accounted for most of the group’s revenue.

Those headwinds intensified through 2024 and 2025, leading to acute liquidity pressure that the board was unable to offset through cost reductions or further capital. With cash constraints escalating, the companies filed notices of intention to appoint administrators on 14 November in an effort to stabilise operations while a buyer was sought. By the time of the appointment, the administrators made 561 immediate redundancies across branches and central functions and closed 13 locations, including six in Scotland, as they assessed viability and conserved cash within the estate.

The remaining sites continue to trade while Alvarez & Marsal pursues buyers for the group’s operating divisions and assets. Magnay said the firm has already received expressions of interest and is seeking to complete a transaction quickly to preserve value and protect the remaining workforce. Several production facilities have also been mothballed pending the outcome of the sales process. Administrators highlighted their engagement with employees during the redundancy process and noted that the group’s scale, national footprint and long established brands position parts of the estate as attractive to strategic buyers or consolidators in the timber and building materials sector.

The administrators are now focused on maintaining continuity at the operating branches, advancing discussions with potential purchasers and evaluating options for facilities that have been temporarily idled.