47-year-old C.W. Sellors collapsed in 2026 — a Watchfinder founder bought it back

C.W. Sellors (Gold and Silversmiths) Limited was founded in 1979 by Christopher Sellors, who began by selling marble and granite pen holders and paperweights. In 1985 he opened the first jewellery boutique in Bakewell under the name Blue John Gallery, building a reputation around rare Derbyshire Blue John gemstones. The business grew to about 10 locations across the UK — Bakewell, Ashbourne, Matlock, Shrewsbury, York and Whitby among them — and expanded into watches, operating the online watch retailer Jura Watches and the W. Hamond brand. The founder died in October 2023 at 64.

On 13 January 2026, Lee Causer and Ben Peterson of BDO LLP were appointed joint administrators of the company. The business had employed 86 staff; 36 were made redundant immediately, with about 50 kept on to assist the administrators while a buyer was sought. BDO blamed challenging trading conditions: rising overheads and lower demand for high-end products. Local reports described suppliers going unpaid for months before the collapse.

Two months later, on 18 March 2026, the business was bought out of administration by a consortium led by Stuart Hennell, co-founder of the pre-owned watch retailer Watchfinder, with former Fabergé CEO Antony Lindsay joining as chief executive. Rebecca Sellors, daughter of the founder, stayed on as managing director. The company — and the Jura Watches and W. Hamond brands — continued trading under the new ownership.