Wedding day heartache for brides after collapse of dress supplier

Wedding day dreams for some brides in Peterborough may have been dashed by the collapse of dress supplier.

It is thought there are 300 women whose wedding day plans will be shattered after the closure yesterday of the 50 year old Grantham-headquartered Bridal Fashions Limited, which traded as Berketex Bride.

The company operated 15 outlets nationally and all were closed yesterday (November 13) following insurmountable cash flow difficulties.

A dedicated phoneline for customers who have placed orders with the company has been set up to advise customers.

A spokesperson for Sheffield based Wilson Field Group, which has been instructed to advise the company, says it is thought there may be 300 potentially disappointed brides.

Berketex Bride, which had annual sales of £1.5 million had 80 staff and 15 branches nationwide including concessions in Debenhams and stores in Scotland and Southern Ireland plus an online store.

It had stores in Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester, Croyden, London West End, Chester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dublin.

A spokesperson from Wilson Field Group said: “Wilson Field was invited by the director to give advice when the company faced mounting cash flow problems.

“This is another example of the hard time retailers are experiencing – and how companies are needing to react to the demands of different shopping habits and online retail.

“A Notice of Intent to appoint an administrator was lodged with the court on November 9.

"Once appointed, an administrator will look at the viability of different aspects of the business and other options to maximise realisations of company assets.

“The director of the company wishes to express his sincere apologies for the abrupt closure of the store and any subsequent inconvenience this may cause to customers of the company.

“Wilson Field appreciates that this will be distressing for the customers of the company and will deal with individual queries as quickly as possible however we anticipate a high volume of calls and therefore ask for your patience in advance.

Any customers waiting for purchased items to be received should call 0114 349 1388.