Telford phone firm Geko in administration

TELFORD PHONE company Geko has gone into liquidation with the loss of more than 70 jobs, it was announced today.

Bosses at the company's head office in Queensway said they had been unsuccessful in resolving cash flow problems and finding new investors which meant they had no choice but to take the decision to shut down the company.

Bridgnorth entrepreneur and Geko managing director Dave Carter said it was a "very sad day" for the company.

The decision has led to the loss of 72 jobs at the Telford site while another 13 jobs have been lost at the firm's Birmingham and Stoke offices. All staff members have a month's wages outstanding, the company said.

Geko has been operational in the West Midlands for just under a decade.

Mr Carter said: "The current economic situation is making business incredibly tough and the banks are simply not helping as they used to.

"We had a great operation here that has a lot of happy customers. You would think that banks would be falling over themselves to help us overcome these short-term issues, but that isn't the case.

"I would like to pay tribute to everyone who has worked at Geko and to thank them for their support during this difficult time. It is a very sad day."

Lacey Webb, a spokeswoman for Geko, said bosses had done their best to save the company. She added: "We desperately tried to find investment to save the company, but we could not find anyone to help.

"Geko will now be put into the hands of administrators who have yet to be appointed."

She said: "We acted as a broker between businesses and phone operators Orange. We secured customers discounts, deals and new handsets. We were a strong independent company and were due to celebrate our 10-year anniversary in September.

"Anyone who had a contract with us should contact Orange to see if our closure affects their contracts. We opened our new offices in Telford four years ago when the economic climate was much very different.

"All the staff there and throughout the West Midlands have been sent a letter explaining the situation and advising them on how to reclaim lost wages."

By Peter Finch