08.05.2025

Administration for Quick Reach

UK rental company Quick Reach Powered Access has entered administration after having worked for some time with its bankers on a restructuring plan, following changes to its credit lines, rising debts and a chain of unfortunate events.

We heard yesterday that the staff had been informed of the full situation, and that company had formally requested the appointment of an administrator. Although the official paperwork had not yet been filed at companies House.

Quick Reach was established in 2014 by David and John Barton who had previously worked with The Platform Company. Tragically John passed away in 2020 just as the covid pandemic began to spread. Until then the company had done well but in the past year or so struggled to keep its ‘head above water’ thanks to a series of events, which included the withdraw and or reduction to its credit line, a data breach and in January this year a major fire at its premises in West Bromwich. Click here to see local news report, which generated a £700,000 insurance claim which we understand has yet be settled.

We asked managing director David Barton to confirm the news which he promptly did and we also suggested he draft a statement, which he has provided and which we publish in full below.

The statement goes well beyond anything that we expected or have received before, in fact most owners in this situation simply hide or lie – usually to their detriment. The statement - more of an open letter - is thoughtful, candid and deeply moving as it catalogues the challenges the company and its senior managers faced since 2020. We have therefor decided to publish it in full.

”Dear Leigh,

As you know, the business has faced some significant and painful challenges over recent years, not least, the loss of my dear brother and co-founder, John. His passing left a hole both personally and professionally that I simply couldn’t fill, despite my best efforts.

On top of that, we found ourselves locked into a banking arrangement that ultimately didn’t work for us. We have been operating under a revolving asset-based lending facility with the bank, and following a valuation process, £4 million of our available headroom was wiped away overnight. That single event put enormous pressure on our cash position and set off what I can only describe as a business owner’s worst nightmare.

We’ve spent 15 months under the forbearance of the bank restructuring programme, which, in my personal experience, was poorly handled and deeply frustrating. For a business of our size, the professional fees alone spiralled to more than £750,000, and during that period we suffered two major breaches of data protection - fuelling rumours, weakening trust, and hindering genuine rescue efforts, that the bank ultimately chose not to pursue.

The wider macro-economic challenges, our banking structure (asset-backed lending) combined with a significant drop in equipment valuations an arson attack at our Birmingham depot unfortunately served as the catalysts to place us in an untenable position to trade.

Even in the midst of all that, I held on to hope. At the start of this process, we had healthy EBITDA, a loyal team, and a structure poised for growth. Most recently, we had serious interest from an extremely exciting potential buyer - a deal that could have saved the business and provided a fresh start. Sadly, the offer came just a bit too late, at a point where things had already gone too far. That last glimmer of hope has been extinguished, and at the end of last week I’d finally accepted that Quick Reach had reached the point of no return.

Of course, I can’t lay all the blame at the bank’s door, and nor should I. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and I have to own the mistakes I made. I made some poor management choices, and in my stubbornness, I thought I could step into John’s shoes - I couldn’t. I spent too much time tied up with advisors, trying to navigate bureaucracy, and not enough time with the people and operations that really mattered.

All the while, I’ve been fighting a personal battle that I had chosen to keep private – I was diagnosed with cancer during one of the most turbulent times of my life. I’ve kept it from employees, family, and friends, believing I had to stay strong for the team. I’m happy to say it is now under control. I didn’t want to appear vulnerable to our competitors, investors and customers, and certainly not to those within the industry, who seem willing to capitalise on the misfortunes of others without a second thought.

At the end of last week, I had to face the reality that we’ve exhausted every option. Today, I have made the incredibly difficult decision to file a notice of intent to appoint an administrator.

I am, and always will be, immensely proud of what John and I built from nothing. We created something meaningful, and while I may not have succeeded in sustaining it, it was not for lack of effort or commitment. I’ve been fighting until the bitter end, unfortunately the circumstances are simply greater than what we can overcome.

I’d like to thank my amazing team, many of whom have gone above and beyond, working tirelessly through uncertainty and pressure.

To those who saw weakness as something to exploit, I’ll leave them to their own conscience.

Now, I must shift my focus to the wellbeing of our people, our creditors, and for the first time in a long while - my own health. It’s time for me to breathe, reflect, and when it’s time I’ll begin thinking about the next chapter.

Kind Regards
David Barton”

Vertikal Comment

It is tremendously sad to see a company like this fail, it also highlights how the ‘system’ all too often feeds off of companies in trouble and which might be in a weak position. I have seen it all too often and on a least two occasions experienced it firsthand. Fortunately, in both cases – one as a senior manager in a big group and one closer to home. In the first we had good advice to go early while we still had funds to go through the process to the benefit of everyone and also managed certain aspects well, such as being totally open about the process and what was going to happen. On the other occasion it was as much due to ignorance, optimism and mostly good luck that we avoided having to go through such a process although the pain caused by banks gouging those in a weak position remains after all this time – but that is another story.

I am sure there will be a good few people in the industry who will hope that the process of winding down the Quick Reach business proceeds in the best way possible and goes well for the befit of creditors, employees and to a lesser extent customers.

They will have to watch out though, the insolvency business is also full of sharks who like nothing more than feeding on the carcass of a failed company in the belief that their job is to look after the preferred creditor as best they can while taking the rest for themselves.