Cladding subcontractor goes under while working on Liverpool FC stand

The cladding subcontractor working on Liverpool FC’s new Anfield Road stand has filed for administration before completing the work, Construction News can reveal.

Essex-based cladding contractor SD Samuels (Special Projects) Ltd submitted a notice of intention to appoint administrators in December, after losing a key funder at short notice.

The struggles at the £15m-turnover firm were amplified by complications on a number of projects, Construction News understands, some of which it lost adjudications over.

CN also understands that SD Samuels made a six-figure loss on a single project it was working on.

SD Samuels was subcontracted by Buckingham Group to work on the newly expanded Anfield Road stand at Liverpool FC’s Anfield stadium and CN understands that it had not completed its work on the stadium when it filed the administration notice in December.

SD Samuels has previously worked with major contractors including Kier and ISG, cladding buildings ranging from supermarkets to stadiums, schools and hospitals.

Buckingham Group declined to comment when asked whether it had appointed a replacement sub-contractor or whether the collapse could cause delays at the stadium.

Last month, CN reported that Buckingham Group’s shock pre-tax loss last year was caused partly by the collapse of another cladding subcontractor. Kaicer Building Envelope Solutions had been appointed by Buckingham to install cladding on Fulham FC’s Craven Cottage stadium. The firm’s collapse cost Buckingham £14.2m, according to Buckingham’s annual report.

SD Samuels has faced problems since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with its profit shrinking by nearly 80 per cent in the year to 31 December 2021, according to its most recent accounts.

Some of the 26 staff at SD Samuels (Special Projects) Ltd are now set to join its smaller sister company, SD Samuels Ltd, although others will be made redundant, according to a source close to the situation. The sister company does not need to disclose full accounts due to its size, so details on its turnover and profit are unavailable.

CN understands SD Samuels is in discussions with its clients about passing on some of its jobs to its sister company, but the Anfield job is not among them.

Buckingham Group declined to comment. CN approached Liverpool FC for comment.