Scottish grain merchant Alexander Inglis & Son Ltd has gone into administration.
Business advisory firm FRP‘s partners Tom MacLennan and Chad Griffin have been appointed joint administrators for the East Lothian company.
The company, which is headquartered at Tranent, has a turnover of around £100 million and employs 40 members of staff.
It operates five grain stores and supplies grain to a range of customers in the whisky, malting and distilling sectors, as well as seed and fertiliser to agricultural clients.
The stores are located in: Ormiston, East Lothian; Swarland, Northumberland; St Boswells in the Scottish Borders; Errol in Perthshire; and Loanhead in Midlothian.
FRP said the business had been suffering from weaker trading in recent months following a poor harvest in 2020 and contraction in demand from its customers as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It said the business wind down will involve confirming who owns the stock held in its stores and liaising with owners on stock disposals, before marketing the store, plant and equipment for sale.
“Alexander Inglis & Son is a key supplier of cereals and barley to the whisky, distilling and allied industries,” said FRP partner and joint administrator, Chad Griffin.
“The storage facilities are very well equipped and in strategic locations. We will now focus on marketing the assets for sale and would urge interested parties to contact the Edinburgh office of FRP as soon as possible.”