Former Wallace Barnaby managing director Tom Robertshaw in the lounge of his home at the weekend from where he spoke to the media about the liquidation of the company which has cost 30 people their jobs. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0660973)

FORMER directors of Wallace Barnaby have said they are ‘gutted’ by the decision to liquidate a company they believe could have been saved.

Tom Robertshaw, who was managing director, and former creative director Ian Langlois revealed they were given little warning that it was in trouble.

‘The Channel Island business was very strong,’ said Mr Robertshaw.

‘So the company was liquidated because of the UK. As directors, we made every effort to save it.’

They had been in negotiations with parent company Ekay in relation to Wallace Barnaby. When the talks collapsed 10 days ago, they were assured the company would stay in business.

‘We spent a lot of time injecting cash into the business because we saw it having a future,’ said Mr Langlois. ‘We were told there was a credit line and that it wouldn’t fall through.

‘But we began to read between the lines and to prepare ourselves. Even so, it was only just over a week ago, so we did not have much time and we did not know for certain until Friday.’

He felt that the Guernsey company could have been rescued. ‘I had been there 15 years and we made a profit every year until this one, so why couldn’t we have restructured? We could have ridden through these times.’