A Wigan funeral coachbuilder faced 'sustained financial pressures' before entering administration
The chairman of a Wigan business has described the appointment of administrators as an “extraordinarily difficult moment”.
As previously reported, funeral coachbuilder Eagle Specialist Vehicles Limited, trading as Wilcox Limousines, has ceased trading and entered administration after 78 years of business.
Just under 100 jobs are affected, many of them done by highly skilled craftsmen who have spent years building cars for funerals.
Chairman Paul Wilcox, who has spent almost six decades working for the family business, said: "This is an extraordinarily difficult moment for everyone connected to Eagle and Wilcox.
"What generations of people built here over nearly eight decades is something we remain deeply proud of. We were privileged to serve a profession that understands the importance of dignity, tradition and care and my sincere thanks go to every employee, customer, supplier and supporter who became part of that story."
The firm was founded in 1948 and grew from a small family workshop into one of Britain’s most recognised names in specialist funeral vehicle manufacturing, supplying funeral directors across the UK and internationally for generations.
Wilcox vehicles formed part of Britain’s ceremonial history for decades and were used at funerals for Diana, Princess of Wales, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth II.
Based on Swan Lane, Hindley Green, it is now run by the second and third generations of the Wilcox family.
In a personal statement from the family, they explained the firm had faced “sustained financial pressures in recent years”.
They said: “Rising material costs, global supply disruption, changing vehicle platforms and changing funeral market conditions have all contributed to an increasingly difficult trading environment.
“For specialist manufacturers, vehicle approval has also become significantly more costly and complex. Where one initial type approval for a new vehicle line once supported production, each new vehicle now requires individual approval testing before registration, including transport to IVA centres, repeated compliance checks and increasing technical requirements.
“A further recent challenge has been additional testing requirements for low-volume specialist manufacturers, creating further cost and uncertainty in a way larger producers are often better able to absorb.”
They said there had also been changes in the funeral sector, with more direct cremations leading to reduced demand for traditional ceremonial services and specialist funeral vehicles.