OCI Limited faces High Court winding-up petition filed by Saudi Arabian agricultural company
A Saudi Arabian agricultural firm has filed a winding-up petition against OCI Limited, a Manchester-based wholesale trader, with a High Court hearing set for 22 July 2026. Full notice and Companies House record.
Information for general guidance, drawn from the public record. Not legal, financial, or insolvency advice. If you are affected by an insolvency, consult a licensed practitioner or qualified solicitor.
A winding-up petition against OCI Limited, a Manchester-based wholesale trader, was presented to the High Court on 2 June 2026 by Al-Othman Agriculture Production and Processing Co. Ltd, a company based in Al Khobar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which claims to be a creditor of the business.
A winding-up petition is a court filing by a creditor asking the court to make a winding-up order. Filing a petition does not put the company into liquidation; the court must first make the order at a hearing. That hearing is listed for 10:30 on Wednesday 22 July 2026 at the Rolls Building, Fetter Lane, London, before the Insolvency and Companies List (ChD), the specialist list within the Chancery Division of the High Court that handles insolvency and company-law matters. The case reference is CR-2026-004307.
The company
OCI Limited was incorporated on 9 March 2012 and is registered at care of Burton Varley Ltd, Suite 3, 2nd Floor, Didsbury House, 748-754 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M20 2DW. Companies House records the company as active. Its registered SIC codes cover wholesale of pharmaceutical goods, wholesale of other machinery and equipment, wholesale of other intermediate products, and non-specialised wholesale trade, placing it broadly in the wholesale distribution sector.
The company's last accounts on file at Companies House were made up to 31 March 2024, filed as audited-abridged accounts.
The petitioner
Al-Othman Agriculture Production and Processing Co. Ltd is registered at PO Box 402, Al Khobar 31952, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The petition was served on 2 June 2026, the same date it was presented. Al-Othman's solicitor in the proceedings is Ben Summerfield of Morrison and Foerster (UK) LLP, The Scalpel, 52 Lime Street, London EC3M 7AF. The solicitor's reference for the matter is 31304/2.
Any party wishing to appear at the hearing, whether to support or oppose the petition, must give notice of that intention by 16:00 on Tuesday 21 July 2026, in accordance with Rule 7.14 of the Insolvency Rules.
The director
Oliver Philip Chapman has been a director of OCI Limited since the company's incorporation on 9 March 2012. No other officers appear on the Companies House record. There are no registered secured charges against the company.
What happens next
The petition is a court filing, not a winding-up order. If the High Court makes an order at the 22 July hearing, OCI Limited would enter compulsory liquidation, the form of liquidation imposed by a court rather than resolved voluntarily by a company's members. At that point an Official Receiver, a civil servant of the Insolvency Service, would automatically take office as liquidator. Creditors and connected parties have until 16:00 on 21 July to register their intention to appear.
The Gazette notice was published on 12 June 2026.
Common questions
What does a winding-up petition mean for Oci Limited?
A petition is a court filing, not a court order. Oci Limited is not yet in liquidation. The court will consider the petition at the date listed in the notice; until then, the company continues to trade, but its bank may freeze accounts and counterparties may stop extending credit. The court can dismiss the petition, adjourn it, or grant a winding-up order.
Are you owed money by Oci Limited?
You are not yet a creditor in a liquidation; the company is still trading. If you support the petition, you may file a notice of support at the court named in the notice. If the petition is granted, you become an unsecured creditor in the resulting compulsory liquidation and the Official Receiver will invite you to submit a proof of debt.
Did you work at Oci Limited?
A petition does not by itself terminate your employment. Wages and holiday pay continue to accrue until the company stops paying you or is wound up. Watch the bank position closely; if accounts are frozen, payroll will be the first thing to fail. If the petition is granted, statutory redundancy and notice claims become payable from the Redundancy Payments Service.
Are you a director of Oci Limited?
Once a petition is filed, the company's directors have a heightened duty to consider the interests of creditors. Continuing to trade where there is no reasonable prospect of avoiding insolvent liquidation can expose directors to personal liability for wrongful trading under Section 214 of the Insolvency Act 1986. Specialist insolvency advice should be taken immediately.
Sources
- The London Gazette notice (code Petitions to Wind Up (Companies))
- Companies House record 07983075
- Court: High Court of Justice
- Editorial standards: how we source and review; five-pass pipeline.
