News

There is life after insolvency for some businesses – as distinct from the companies containing them – but directors continuing to trade in effectively the same way yet in a different guise must tread very carefully. ‘Phoenixing’, after the mythical bird rising from...

Recent days have seen the fall into administration of a Cornwall theme park, a Hampshire golf club and an independent cinema chain. They are the tip of the iceberg of UK leisure businesses, none particularly well known, facing an existential squeeze in revenue from...

The news that London’s Canary Wharf financial district is losing both global banking giant HSBC and Clifford Chance, one of the world’s largest law firms, is further evidence that changing working patterns are making businesses think twice about their office needs and...

The 11-year Director’s Disqualification for the former CFO of construction giant Carillion, which collapsed in 2018, is an extreme example of the Insolvency Service’s appetite for taking action against errant bosses. On a scale of two years to a maximum 15, the...

Seven years have now passed since the momentous referendum which heralded the UK's departure from the European Union. Time enough, if opinion polls are to be believed, for an intensifying sense of buyers' remorse. Indeed after a series of false dawns - from an...

The fall into administration of major logistics group Tuffnells, citing inflationary pressures and tougher competition, has brought into sharp focus the challenges faced by this critical link in the supply chain. There are several factors beyond the logistics...

Funny how most business costs leave a company’s bank account at fixed days through the month, yet income for goods sold or services supplied seems to land when debtors feel like sending it. Of course, it isn’t funny at all, especially in these times of soaring energy...

The recent fall into administration of a 313,000 sq ft office block in London’s Canary Wharf confirms fears that investors in the capital’s commercial property market may wait longer than expected for recovery. Formerly the London head office of Bear Stearns before...

In an ideal world, perhaps businesses would never need to deal with an Insolvency Practitioner (IP). One common misconception is that IPs simply help to close businesses that go bust or run out of money. This is by no means always the case, since options exist for...

Optimism is generally a good quality when running a business. It fosters positive energy and a can-do approach, without which success is much more difficult. Nonetheless a healthy dose of realism can be a useful balance, not least when assessing the financial health...

A quick summary for those without the time and inclination to pore through this entire briefing - deeply disappointing results for the Conservatives, especially in many of its traditional strongholds in the south and midlands; substantial, telling but inconsistent...

Less than a year ago, at the time of the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, we published an article posing the question “Would the Queen make a good CEO?” When this weekend’s coronation is over, her son, King Charles III, will have (symbolically, at least) taken the reins...