The demise of Autodex, the UK’s fifth largest independent bodyshop group, has been an illustration of how vulnerable repairers can be to fluctuations in cashflow and repair volumes.

The £22 million turnover accident repair group, headed by managing director Richard Fagan, went into administration in early April after negotiations to refinance the business failed. 

Volumes dwindled from the start of this year and the business was put up for sale in March and ceased receiving new work.
However, as cashflow dried up its finance companies declined to increase support.

In a statement, Autodex said: “Autodex ceased accepting new work at the beginning of March as the sales process had commenced. It was initially hoped that a single buyer would be found for the whole group, but it was subsequently decided that a breakup of the sites would attract more buyers and result in a speedier sales process.”

At its peak in 2007, Autodex had 11 bodyshops at Southall, Uxbridge, Rickmansworth, Aldershot, Slough, Reading (x2), Croydon, Wimbledon, Kensington and Ascot. 

The Rickmansworth and Southall centres were closed in January, months after its Kensington and Reading West bodyshops were mothballed.

Philip Armstrong and Nicholas O’Reilly from Vantis Business Recovery Services have been appointed joint administrators.
Motofix acquired the Autodex bodyshop in Aldershot. It will operate as Motofix Aldershot. 

The acquisition takes the group to four locations, including existing bodyshops in Swindon, Northampton and High Wycombe.