FE Barber, which trades as Kingsland Wine & Spirits and Legacy Wines, is to close Stratford's Wine Agencies Cookham office following its purchase of the firm back in September.

Stratford's went into administration on September 21, but its assets were acquired by Kingsland's parent company on the same day. FE Barber assured the trade at the time that it would be "business as usual".

Since then, FE Barber has remained tight-lipped about its plans for the Berkshire-based firm, and has carried out a strategic review of the business.

From December 21, 2012, all administration functions previously carried out at the Cookham offices will now transfer to FE Barber's Irlam, Manchester headquarters. But customers' main point of contact will remain their Stratford's account manager.

Prior to its collapse, Stratford's had been trading since the early eighties and represented several premium agencies, including Australia's Pirie, USA's Domaine Ste Michelle and Chile's Anakena. But directors said it suffered due to shrinking margins in a tough trading climate.

At the time the deal was struck, Rob Page, sales and marketing director at Kingsland, said: "We are acquiring some excellent agencies and a distributor with a great reputation. Internally our strategy will develop over the next few months to ensure a smooth integration and to drive the business forward."

FE Barber added that the deal would position it as a "major European wine company capable of a complete solution for a wider market".