Luxury agency Wonderluxe formally wound up

The company ceased trading after a silent partner withdrew.

Joint administrators Michael Jenkins and David Broadbent of Begbies Traynor reported there were insufficient assets to pay the £2,500 owed to employees or a £10,000 bill to HM Revenue & Customs.

Trade creditors were owed £43,000, NatWest £75,000 and investor Patrick Thomas £269,000.

However, the company’s forward bookings were picked up by Protected Trust Services (PTS) which provided trust arrangements to cover Wonderluxe’s business under its own Atol and there was no call on the Air Travel Trust fund.

Three Wonderluxe homeworkers joined PTS on their own account to fulfil the business, with 92 bookings outstanding worth £549,000 including £134,000-worth of Atol‑to‑Atol bookings.

PTS executive director Emma Collis explained: “All client funds were fully protected, and every booking has been fulfilled as originally planned, with 15 clients still to travel. Not a single client or supplier was [adversely] affected.”

She added: “All the bookings were handled by the original homeworkers, and suppliers were fantastic in supporting the transfer of bookings to the homeworkers. Everything continued as originally booked, with Atol-protected bookings reprotected under the PTS Atol.”

Collis noted: “Control of client funds is key to ensuring everyone is protected.”

Two of the three ex-homeworkers continue to work with PTS and are “doing extremely well”, according to Collis.

The third fulfilled the outstanding bookings but then paused trading for personal reasons, although Collis said: “The door remains open should she wish to return.”

Sumner has since set up a new company, Sheena Sumner Private Travel, and engaged with potential clients on Instagram, although the business’s website remains “under construction” and the venture does not appear to have begun trading. The new business is not a PTS member.

Collis said: “Sheena managed the voluntary liquidation extremely well with PTS. It was a sad situation for her, losing the investment, after years of hard work. We wish her every success in whatever is next for her.”