I’m fighting to keep my business running
4:00pm Thursday 21st March 2013 in News
Rose Webster
Devizes businesswoman Rose Webster is preparing to start again after her company, Spirit Clothing, went into voluntary receivership last week.
Former teacher Mrs Webster spent 14 years building up the fashion business from her first store in Devizes, also opening shops in Frome, Bradford on Avon and Marlborough.
She said: “We are in the middle of the longest recession since the 1930s and people just haven’t got the money to spend.
“We were surviving until the beginning of February when Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs decided to end the arrangement to pay off VAT by monthly instalments.
“We had to find all the money at once.”
Because she went into voluntary liquidation, Mrs Webster is able to come to an arrangement with administrators Mazars and has bought back the name.
She said: “The Frome shop has been taken over by the managers and the Marlborough store is to be a gift shop. The Devizes and Bradford on Avon stores are closed but we are hoping to re-open in Devizes.”
A statement from the liquidators said that 20 jobs have been lost and there are debts of £470,000.
She said: “It was only because of the VAT situation that we weren’t able to continue trading.”
Mrs Webster is hoping to re-open the Devizes shop on April 4.
