A long-standing York business owed more than £1 million to creditors after entering liquidation, new documents have revealed.
Elcocks, a tool hire, sale and repair business, ceased trading on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, and entered liquidation on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, resulting in 10 job losses.
The company was founded almost five decades ago and had its headquarters in the Fulford Industrial Estate, off Hospital Fields Road, and operated another site in Driffield. Both have now closed.
Mike Jenkins and Dave Broadbent of Begbies Traynor were appointed as joint liquidators of Elcocks and have now published the final statement of affairs for the company.
The statement showed that Elcocks owed £1,019,333 to 59 companies. This included £339,867 owed to bank Santander, £210,223 owed to HM Revenue and Customs, and £209,000 owed to business finance group Funding Circle.
Nine employee claims also totalled £113,103 and the company had £47,104 worth of assets available for creditors, the statement showed.
When it entered liquidation, Elcocks was run by the third generation of the Elcock family who said the closure was “inevitable” as “the challenges facing the business in recent years became too great to overcome”.
Begbies Traynor said the business had been hit by several factors, including a “continued decline in demand for tool repair services as consumer trends saw a shift towards replacement rather than repair”.
It also followed the collapse of a major national buying group to which Elcocks belonged earlier this year, Begbies Traynor said.
The buying group’s collapse resulted in disruption to supply chains and a large outstanding debt demand that the business was unable to meet.
With cash reserves depleted, the company was no longer able to continue operating, the liquidators said.
Announcing the closure in a joint statement, the company’s directors, Ivan Elcock, Andrew Elcock and Claire Bedford, said: “This has been an incredibly difficult decision for the family and for the team who have worked with us.
"We are proud of the business that was built over nearly 50 years and grateful to our loyal customers and staff who have always supported us.
“Sadly, the challenges facing the business in recent years became too great to overcome, and despite our best efforts, closure became inevitable.”
Mr Jenkins said Elcocks had been a “familiar name in York and the surrounding area for decades” and it was “always very sad to see a long-standing family business close its doors”.
“Our focus now is on ensuring the liquidation proceeds as smoothly as possible and that creditors are kept fully informed throughout the process,” he added.
Elcocks was founded by Claude Elcock in 1977.
As The Press reported, brother and sister duo Andrew Elcock and Claire Bedford took over the business in 2015.
It was previously run by the second family generation, managed by Andrew Elcock and his brother, Ivan.
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