Sale talks raise hopes of saving 180 Hawick jobs

By ERIKKA ASKELAND
Published on 31/08/2012 00:00

HOPES were raised yesterday that 180 jobs in Hawick would be saved after the administrator said it was “confident of achieving a sale” of the Barrie Knitwear business.

Barrie, the main UK trading arm of cashmere firm Dawson International, was put into administration earlier this month after its owners failed to agree a deal to bail out its pension fund.

KPMG said the assets had attracted “strong interest” from as many as 35 potential buyers. The businesses being sold are the Barrie mill and the US business, Dawson Forte, which was not in administration but was also up for sale.

Although the firm had suffered under massive pension fund liabilities, the historic Barrie mill traded well, making £1.1 million profit on £9.7m in revenue and its main customers include fashion houses Chanel and Hermes.

Blair Nimmo, head of restructuring at KPMG, said: “We have been encouraged by the level of interest shown in Dawson International and its Barrie and Dawson Forte brands – an illustration of how highly regarded the company is. We will now be assessing the bids and speaking to the various parties who have expressed their interest in acquiring the business. We remain confident of achieving a sale in the near future.

“We would like to thank the staff and management for their continued understanding and patience during what we appreciate is an important period in the history of this prestigious company.”