A report has revealed the extent of the Glasgow-founded firm’s debt as its 40 UK stores are days away from a decision over their fate.

The companies linked to Quiz Clothing, and its stores are currently being managed by administrators Interpath.

Concerns over closure if a rescue package is not agreed have been raised.

Interpath is expected to update on the administration within days.

All 40 stores are at risk of closure. (Image: Newsquest)

The firm was appointed administrator to Orion Retail Limited, Tarak International Limited and Zandra Systems Limited, collectively trading as Quiz Clothing, in February.

The retail firm, operating for 33 years, has seven concessions in Ireland as well as its 40 stores across the UK, employing 565 staff.

At the point of administration, there were 109 redundancies across Quiz’s head office in Glasgow and distribution centre in Bellshill.

The administrators’ report for Orion Retail Limited shows that in December sums owed to connected parties of £15.4 million and trade creditors of £6.1m outweighed debtors at £13.5m – understood to represent sums owed by other group entities – and stock of £6.7m.

The report covering Tarak International Limited, which operated the group’s website and its overseas concessions, showed debtors at £11.1m and stock of £1.4m, principally, were outweighed by sums owed to connected parties of £9.5m and trade creditors £3.7m.

Zandra Systems Limited has no employees and its sole purpose is to hold an IT records contract.

The Zandra report stated: “To the extent the company has required to meet any fees and costs, we understand that, latterly, these would have been funded via loans provided by the company’s sole secured creditor, Zesta Ventures Limited.

“We understand Zesta Ventures Limited is owed approximately £6m by the group – albeit, we have yet to receive details of its indebtedness at appointment.”

The administrators said in the March 16 report: “We presently anticipate the administration trading period could last until mid-May 2026.

“Albeit, and with support from Hilco, trading performance is being monitored on a daily basis and paring back of operations will be implemented as it is considered necessary over the coming weeks.

“During the period immediately following our appointment – with news of the appointment having received local and national media coverage – we liaised with several parties who had expressed an interest in the company’s business and assets.

“To date, no offers have been received for the company’s business on a going concern basis.”

Bernard Matthews has swapped its frozen coated poultry products -including dinosaurs and Twizzlers – from turkey to chicken.

The shift comes after consumer taste tests revealed a clear preference for the change.

Sustainability and concerns about the potential impact of bird flu on future turkey supplies are both understood to have factored into the decision.

The only exception to the change is the company’s Hamwich product, which will continue to use turkey.

A Bernard Matthews spokesman said: “Kids will still be able to play with their food with dinosaurs and unicorns still on the menu.

“But through a series of taste tests, consumers told us they prefer chicken.”

Turkey dinosaurs were on sale for roughly four decades, from their launch in the early 1980s until the 2026 switch to chicken-only versions.

Norfolk’s Bernard Matthews, who built his fortune on turkey products and made the phrase “bootiful” famous, died in 2010.

CATHERINE KNOWLES

News Editor

Doxis has been named a Leader in Gartner’s 2026 Magic Quadrant for Document Management, marking the second consecutive year it has received the designation.

Gartner assessed 16 document management vendors on ability to execute and completeness of vision. The ranking followed updates to Doxis’ core document automation platform and a broader push into artificial intelligence tools for document handling.

The Bonn-based software supplier employs more than 600 staff across 20 offices in 11 countries. It counts DHL, Allianz, UBS and BASF among its customers, and says its software is used by more than 3,000 customers and 5 million users in more than 150 countries.

Platform updates

Among the changes highlighted were additions to intelligent document processing through Doxis AI.dp, semantic search tools, AI-assisted user features and cloud administration. Doxis also expanded integrations with SAP, SuccessFactors and Salesforce, while continuing to invest in workflow orchestration and connections with broader enterprise systems.

Doxis says its platform combines content storage, governance, process automation and AI-based services within a single architecture. It is aimed at organisations with document-heavy processes in sectors including banking, insurance, manufacturing, logistics and energy.

The recognition follows a period of growth and a rebrand to Doxis, The Document Intelligence Company. The business has sharpened its focus on intelligent content automation across the document lifecycle, including investments in document processing, SAP automation and customer communications software.

Market focus

Doxis operates in a crowded market that includes large software groups and specialist document management providers. In promoting the announcement, it linked the recognition to execution in artificial intelligence and user experience as it competes with companies such as Microsoft and Box.

Document management software has come under closer scrutiny as companies look for ways to organise large volumes of information, automate routine processes and prepare internal data for broader use in AI systems. Suppliers have been adding search, classification and extraction tools as businesses seek to reduce manual work and bring records from different systems into a more consistent structure.

Doxis has framed that shift around what it calls document intelligence, describing it as a way to create a common language across systems so organisations can extract more value from their information. It argues that this approach is becoming a core part of enterprise AI strategy as businesses try to connect fragmented document stores with operational workflows.

Dr. John Bates, Chief Executive Officer of Doxis, said: “We feel this recognition as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant reflects how powerful the Doxis platform is for customers as they rapidly transform to be ‘AI-ready’ – underpinning their IT foundations with a Document Intelligence platform that truly connects, understands and automates information across the whole document lifecycle. After a year of strong growth, strategic investments, and our rebrand to Doxis, The Document Intelligence Company, we believe this recognition reflects both the momentum we’re building globally as a fast-growing vendor and the unique value we offer customers.”