Ilford UK insolvency won’t impact on local company in the short term

Ilford Imaging Australia has enough stock of black & white film to satisfy its mainly student market for the near future, according to Andy Stewart, managing director. Although film comprises “a significant chunk” of the business, the failure of the UK film and photographic paper manufacturer will not be fatal to the local operation.

“We are a wholly owned subsidiary but the situation is that one of our major suppliers is in difficulty. The Australian company is very solvent and we have good stock levels to see us through, although who knows what will happen in the future.”

Ilford Imaging, the world's biggest black-and-white film and photographic paper maker, is splitting its UK and Swiss businesses to sell them separately after filing for insolvency. The UK business produces the company’s traditional black & white film and photographic paper, while the Swiss business is a major inkjet manufacturer.

Burdened with massive debt the 125-year-old film company is another victim to the advance of digital cameras. The market for black and white photographic paper had plunged by 26 per cent this year. Last week Agfa announced the sale of its consumer film business.

Over 700 employees will be made redundant if the Ilford plant at Mobberley, near Knutsford in Cheshire cannot be sold as a going concern.

The profitable Swiss inkjet business, which is a major world supplier of dyes for inkjet photo printers – is likely to attract several bidders, given its profitability. It will continue trading as normal while being readied for sale.