Forvis Mazars has been appointed as Joint Manager of Cheltenham-based Seventynine Lighting Ltd, which has been operating since 2006.

The company has worked on a range of retail and commercial fit-outs as a lighting design and installation subcontractor.

Following the collapse of ISG in September 2024, Seventynine found itself with £2m of bad debt and its largest customer was no longer trading.

The problems were insurmountable for the company, and managers concluded that work should be stopped in an orderly manner under the protection of an administrative moratorium.

The business ceased trading and 30 staff were made redundant.

Joint Administrator Mark Boughey said: “Although Seventynine Lighting has been a historically profitable and successful business, its sudden insolvency is unfortunately not an uncommon occurrence in the construction industry. The entry of a major contractor into administration materially impacts the supply chain of other subcontractors involved in its projects.

“Although some of the financial risks inherent in the construction industry cannot be completely eliminated, it may be beneficial for subcontractors to take a few steps to protect themselves as much as possible.

“These may include diversifying the customer base, monitoring the credit scores of key suppliers and using risk-based products such as credit insurance.

“These tools can sometimes help businesses manage and reduce their financial risk where there are warning signs of insolvency in their customer base or supply chain, and potentially recover some of their losses in the event of a failure.”