more than a dozen jobs.

Plans were being drawn up yesterday to place the company in liquidation after two weeks in receivership.

The company's biggest creditor, the Bank of Bermuda, appointed accountant Mr.

Gregory Haycock, a partner in Butterfield and Steinhoff, as receiver earlier this month.

His job was to sell off as much of the company as he could to meet its debts to the bank.

But although Mr. Haycock managed to sell Sousa's Flower and Garden Centre in Hamilton, and realised other assets, he could not find a buyer for the main core of business and fell short of his target.

Mr. Haycock, who would not disclose the firm's debts, said yesterday: "We have advised the bank that, in our opinion, there will not be sufficient assets to pay the bank in full and, as a result, we've recommended the company be placed in liquidation.'' Mr. Jefferson Sousa, who owns the company, did not return a phone call yesterday.

Sousa's, which had a florist shop in Washington Street, Hamilton, and a landscaping business in Warwick, employed about 20 people when it was fully operational.

The new owner of the florist's is commercial photographer and African safari organiser Mr. Lloyd Webbe, 58, who bought the business on Friday after several weeks of negotiations.

He has renamed the business aKiku, which is Japanese for chrysanthemum, and said he would offer jobs to all four staff.

"I hope to combine the flower business with wedding photography,'' said Mr.

Webbe. "Flowers and weddings very much go hand in hand.''