James Lumb and Howard Smith from Interpath were appointed as joint administrators to Clayton Glass Ltd on 18 September 2026. Upon appointment, the business and certain assets were sold to an entity led by the former management team in a transaction that secures 283 jobs.
Founded in 1956, Clayton Glass is one of the UK’s leading glass manufacturers, specialising in the manufacture and supply of insulated glass units (IGU) to window, conservatory, door and glazing contractors. The business employed 573 staff from seven sites across the UK.
In recent months the business had faced significant challenges that left the business unable to meet its financial obligations, not least as a result of high energy and raw material costs and an extended period of low demand that hindered its ability to maintain margins. Despite efforts by the business to rescue the business in its entirety, with the support of external capital, no viable solvent solution could be found.
As a result, the joint administrators were appointed to Clayton Glass Ltd on 18 September 2026 and immediately secured the sale of the business and certain assets to Clayton Glass Group Limited, an entity backed by Clayton Glass’ former management team. The transaction includes Clayton Glass’ sites in Nottingham, Swindon, Canterbury and Dewsbury, alongside the transfer of 283 staff.
Unfortunately, the remaining sites in County Durham, North Lanarkshire and Blackburn will be closed which has resulted in the redundancy of the remaining 290 staff.
James Lumb, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator of Clayton Glass said: “Clayton Glass has a proud history, having established itself at the heart of the British glass industry, and this transaction gives the business a platform to continue, secures some of its operations and, crucially, preserves a significant number of jobs.
James Lumb added: "Unfortunately, we are seeing a similarly story across a range of businesses supplying the housing market. The economics of the industry are incredibly challenging with high and rising fixed costs and soft demand which makes good businesses like Clayton unsustainable on a normal operating base. The directors have fought hard to find a solvent solution, but regrettably not all of the business could be rescued in this market. We have a dedicated team on site supporting impacted staff through this difficult time with making representations to the Redundancy Payments Service.”
