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Middlewich Narrowboats - ceased trading?

AndrewIC

By AndrewIC
in General Boating

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Arthur Marshall Veteran II

Arthur Marshall

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Companies House records seem to say it was dissolved last February.

If you go on their website and try to book a boat for next year, you get a list of boats for sale and the prices (unless they've decided to charge £53,000 for a week in January!)

It might explain why they tried to charge me ten times the going rate for rewiring my boat last year.

ETA: However, the same two directors who are shown as being from the dissolved Middlewich Boats Company, are shown as running an active one called the Chugalong Hire Co Ltd, from the same address, so it may just be the usual go broke, write off the losses and all your debts and start another company doing the same thing all over again.

 

   

 

 

Edited by Arthur Marshall
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AndrewIC Rising Star

AndrewIC

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The old, pre-2011 "Middlewich Narrowboats" was actually Willow Wren Kearns Ltd who had been around for decades. In 2011 they went into liquidation and the assets were bought by The Chugalong Hire Company Ltd, who continued trading under the Middlewich Narrowboats name, and it is this company which shows activity on Companies House. Middlewich Narrowboats Ltd had a brief existence, with, as Arthur says, the same directors as Chugalong, but never filed anything and was dissolved.

Elm and Willow are for sale on the Venetian website, I've not found any sign of the others. A dig around the docs on Companies House suggests that a number of them were/are mortgaged to a finance company. Feet on the ground (not my feet though,  I'm laid up with flu otherwise I'd go and have a look) report that the boats are all gone from the wharf. Some solid info would be good.

 

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Athy Veteran II

AthyDonate to Canal World

Posted
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30 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:
   

.

ETA: However, the same two directors who are shown as being from the dissolved Middlewich Boats Company, are shown as running an active one called the Chugalong Hire Co Ltd

   

 

 

That makes sense: the boss of the company used the name "Chugalong" when he joined CWDF and he was soon abbreviated to "Chuggy". 

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dmr Veteran II

dmr

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This is really bad news. Middlewich is a small town with a rather decayed main street, the canal is a big part of the town and the FAB (folk and boat) festival is the highlight of the year for many. Middlewich boats are the spiritual (and practical) centre of this festival for many festival goers. They also have a lovely historic yard which might now end up empty. A bit further up the canal another historic canalside yard has remained empty for years so it will be very sad for another to join it.

.............Dave

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MHS Experienced

MHSDonate to Canal World

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There’s been a massive increase in TV programs featuring boating recently, and this seems to have boosted interest in the canals. 

Has this increased the number of boaters buying, but not renting? One would assume that bookings would have been increasing. 

Of course in this case, it might be a case of bad management. 

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StephenA Experienced

StephenA

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3 hours ago, MHS said:

Of course in this case, it might be a case of bad management. 

Andersen boats, just round the corner below the locks still seem to be going strong, as are Chas Hardern's.... we're forever meeting their boats on the Shroppie...  So the hire market seems to be doing OK...

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Alan de Enfield Veteran II

Alan de Enfield

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I was looking to buy Middlewich Boats at the same time as 'Chuggy' was looking - the fleet was very dated and run down, the buildings 'needed work' and the whole shebang needed so much work and investment that the economics just didn't stack-up.

To get a decent RoI it needed every boat 'out' for 40+ weeks per year which just isn't achieved by the market place.

I know 'Chuggy' spent a lot of money on the fleet but maybe (just speculation - I don't know) eventually decided that the operation did not justify throwing anymore money at it - unable to increase hire prices due to competition, and, unable to increase the length of 'the season' it was possibly time to admit defeat.

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MHS Experienced

MHSDonate to Canal World

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9 hours ago, StephenA said:

Andersen boats, just round the corner below the locks still seem to be going strong, as are Chas Hardern's.... we're forever meeting their boats on the Shroppie...  So the hire market seems to be doing OK...

Sadly,?even if their fleet is busy, with mismanagement, they can still fail. 

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Ace 01 Collaborator

Ace 01

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Sad to see this happening, it was 41 years ago I went on my first canal trip from Willow Wren Kearns and got iced in. Link here.. https://theboattripyears.wordpress.com/the-winter-trips/1976-7-elm-and-sycamore/

My wife and I now live on our own boat.

Cheers

David

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