Ilford Imaging Switzerland makes Ilford Galerie inkjet paper

NEWS UPDATE 18 DECEMBER: TRADING CONTINUES DESPITE FACTORY CLOSURE

Last month Ilford Imaging Switzerland declared itself insolvent after the ‘last potential investor pulled out’.

The company has ‘ceased trading’ and closed its plant at Marly, according to informed industry sources. [However, AP understands that it officially continues to trade and has stock to sell, despite halting paper production.]

Amateur Photographer (AP) understands that around 130 staff at the firm have been laid off, though some have been asked to return to the factory to help the receiver.

Six staff were based in the UK, a spokesperson told AP in July.

‘It sounds very much like a terminal situation,’ said one source familiar with the situation, speaking today.

‘Last Thursday all staff were made redundant.’

AP is seeking an official statement from the receiver – believed to be a firm based in Fribourg.

Factory staff have been discussing the situation via messages sent to former colleagues on Facebook.

Meanwhile, AP has learnt that UK inkjet paper maker PermaJet has stepped in with plans to sell its own version of Ilford Galerie paper.

PermaJet, which is based in Warwickshire, confirmed to AP that it has been making preparations for Ilford Imaging Switzerland’s demise.

‘We will be releasing details, imminently, of an equivalent [Galerie paper] that people will be able to purchase from January,’ revealed a spokesman.

AP understands that Tetenal, official distributor for Ilford Galerie paper in the UK and Ireland, has also been assessing the way forward – acting on the basis that Ilford Imaging Switzerland faces liquidation.

At the time of writing, it was unclear whether any interest has been expressed in the Ilford Imaging Switzerland brand name, which forms part of the company’s assets.

The cash-strapped company had failed to find an investor despite interest from more than 20 parties since a UK backer pulled out earlier this year.

Ilford Imaging Switzerland contacts in the UK and Switzerland could not be reached for comment at the time of writing.

  • Ilford Imaging Switzerland is totally separate from Ilford Photo which is based in the UK and is unaffected (Ilford Photo is the trading name of Cheshire-based Harman Technology which makes traditional b&w photographic papers and film). Ilford Imaging Switzerland served as the distributor for traditional Ilford Photo b&w products in Switzerland. This has forced Harman Technology to seek a German distributor for its traditional b&w products in Switzerland.

NEWS UPDATE 18 DECEMBER: TRADING CONTINUES DESPITE FACTORY CLOSURE