Clarity Plastics Ltd, has acquired the business and assets of Barkley Plastics Ltd, after the company entered administration last month, preserving 60 years of industrial heritage. Birmingham-based injection moulding specialists Barkley Plastics appointed administrators from Begbies Traynor to conduct a controlled closure of the company, on 28 August 2025.
The company, which was founded in 1965, appointed Mark Malone and Gareth Prince, partners at the Birmingham office of business recovery specialist Begbies Traynor as joint administrators. Following immediate redundancies of around 40 employees, a much-reduced workforce was retained to help the administrators wind down operations in a controlled manner, preserving immediate supply lines to key customers.
Following their appointment a number of parties expressed an interest in the business and assets, triggering an urgent sale process by the joint administrators to attempt to rescue the business and its remaining employees. On 19 September, the business and assets were sold to Clarity Plastics, preserving the jobs of those employees retained by the administrators, with the potential for future employment opportunities and continued manufacturing for a long-standing customer base.
Challenging circumstancesMark Malone, a partner at
Begbies Traynor, said: “After a difficult period, the sale of Barkley Plastics is very positive news that should help preserve the company’s rich heritage as part of the manufacturing sector in the Midlands. We are very pleased to have helped achieve this outcome given the challenging circumstances and the remaining employees can now look forward to the future as part of a larger group.
“This outcome was possible due to excellent customer relationships established over many years, the willingness of a buyer to move quickly, and importantly, the effort and support of those staff retained during the administration period. I wish the new owners the very best for the future.”
Kevin Robinson, managing director at Clarity Plastics, said: “We are very happy to have been able to acquire the business and assets of Barkley Plastics from the administrators. It is a very well regarded name in Midlands manufacturing and adds significant strength to our growing plastics division. Speed was vital to complete this deal and we are grateful to the administrators for having acted urgently to make it possible.
“The deal preserves as many jobs as possible as well as an important part of the supply chain for businesses that supplied and bought from Barkley Plastics. This acquisition arrives hot on the heels of the addition of LVS Plastics to the Clarity Group, and we are excited to begin integrating the talented people from Barkley with recent arrivals from LVS and our existing team.”