Following Gasco International's fall into administration, the business and assets of its subsidiary SWM Distribution have been bought by the Air Conditioning Group, a company owned by SWM chairman Ron Lloyd.
This includes the SWM branches in Bridgwater and Leeds. SWM’s Birmingham and Nottingham branches have been shut. A long established name in UK air conditioning distribution, SWM was bought by Gasco Europe from Ron Lloyd in September 2007.
In a separate move, former SWM sales and marketing director Paul Taylor has formed his own company Freedom Air Conditioning, to take over as UK distributor for Hitachi.
Taylor has since bought the former SWM branch in Eastleigh with the former Eastleigh branch manager and fellow Freedom Air Conditioning director Gary Spicer.
In addition to Hitachi, Freedom Air Conditioning intends to continue selling the range of products previously available from SWM.
The London-based administrator MCR would not confirm the level of debt linked to SWM.
UK refrigerant distributor Gasco International went into administration, following the insolvency of its Belgian parent Gasco Europe. The UK management are said to be in talks with the administrator over a possible MBO.
Gasco International’s five branches in Dartford, Slough, Manchester, Belfast and Glasgow continue to trade.