ROOKS CLOSURE: Pandemic hammered much-loved family business, say administrators

Wednesday 16th March 2022

FAMILY butchers J C Rooks & Sons went under because of prolonged falls in trade during the COVID-19 lockdowns, it has been reported.
The company was put into administration this week after it could no longer sustain a viable business, with the closure of 11 stores across Kent and the loss of around 150 jobs.
Hopes remain that someone may be able to come in to rescue the business and the brand, which has been going since the mid 1960s.
Neil Gostelow and Will Wright have been appointed appointed joint administrators.
In a statement, they said: “The company suffered trading losses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily due to constraints from lockdown closures which were then exacerbated further through the Omicron variant in late 2021, during what would be their peak season in the run-up to Christmas.
“The directors concluded that with the deteriorating trading position, the company would need to go through an insolvency process.”
The shops, including this one in The Mall, traded at the weekend but did not reopen on Monday.

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