Barry Head, the managing director of Crown Imperial (pictured), has said that the company has not ceased trading and its factory is ‘fully operational’.
This follows kbbreview’s report yesterday that Waterline staff had been told the factory was closed.
“As a result of Waterline facing financial challenges, Crown Imperial has chosen to pause deliveries to the Newport Pagnell depot as of September 5, 2025,” Head says. “Crown Imperial would like to reassure its employees and customers; it’s currently in the process of seeking further clarity as Waterline looks for a route forward in the marketplace.”
This directly contradicts the information given to all staff from sister distribution company Waterline who were told in an internal memo, seen by kbbreview, that “as of today, the Crown factory will cease operations.” It also said all Crown staff have been put in a 30-day redundancy consultation period.
The statement from Head gives no indication how anything new produced by the factory will get to customers as Waterline staff were also told in the memo that “we will no longer be accepting new Crown orders, and steps will be taken to remove Crown products from the website.”
kbbreview has spoken to several Crown dealers who say they have had no direct contact from the company. Many have, however, spoken to Waterline reps who have confirmed they were told Crown had closed the factory.
In a separate statement Waterline CEO Michael Marriott – Barry Head’s brother – confirmed that they were looking for a buyer.
“Waterline is beginning a process of seeking external investment to secure the future of the business.” he said. “Like many in our sector, we are currently facing cashflow pressures and are carefully reviewing our options.
“These steps are part of a broader strategy to build a stronger, more resilient business. As such, we are exploring several routes to source additional financing and ensure that operations can continue while these initiatives take hold.”