Freesheet publisher faces liquidation

A CREDITORS’ meeting has been called for Vermont Enterprises Limited, a company which owns five freesheet newspapers and newspaper publishing businesses.

According to the notice of the meeting, a liquidator will be appointed to the company at the creditors’ meeting which will take place on January 21st, at the Ashling Hotel at Parkgate Street in Dublin.

Documents filed at the Companies Registration Office show that City Wide News, Lifetimes, Meath Extra, Kildare Extraand North County Newsare owned by Vermont Enterprises, a company with a registered address at Northwood Business Park in Santry, Dublin 9. Dermot and Edel Williams are listed as directors of the company.

Each business name has a separate company number and are registered as business names of Vermont Enterprises Limited. City Wide News has been owned by Vermont Enterprises since 1994, while Lifelines has been owned by Mr Williams’ company since 2001.

Meath Extra, Kildare Extraand North County Extrawere registered as businesses owned by Vermont just over three weeks ago on December 21st. Lifetimeswas also re-registered under Vermont Enterprises on that date under a separate company number.

Dermot and Edel Williams, who are well-known in the printing and freesheet business, ran freesheet paper City Wide News, before buying Lifetimes, a freesheet newspaper that had been previously owned by The Irish Times Limited.

Neither Dermot or Edel Williams could be contacted by The Irish Times. A person who answered the phone at the company's office said that Mr Williams was out of the country until next week.

In 2007 Vermont Enterprises hit the headlines after Mr Williams claimed that Eoin Ryan MEP owed the company almost €17,000 for the printing of election pamphlets.

Vermont subsequently withdrew the claim in the Circuit Civil Court.