BoE does not expect wave of bankruptcies when Covid support measures end May 7, 2021 A tide of bankruptcies among UK firms is not expected when the government pulls its emergency Covid support measures like the furlough scheme later this year, BoE Chief Economist Andy Haldane has said. Many debts racked up recently by companies are spread over long durations “which increases the chances of them being able to be [...]
Boohoo sales and profits surge after fast fashion retailer ups loungewear and activewear offering during pandemic May 5, 2021 Fast fashion retailer Boohoo reported a spike in sales and profit last year after refocusing its product offering on loungewear and activewear during the coronavirus pandemic. The e-commerce giant announced this morning that revenue surged 41 per cent in the year ended 28 February 2021, with sales jumping from £1.23bn to £1.75bn. Profit before tax [...]
Pandemic impact: Another 100,000 UK businesses tumble into financial distress April 22, 2021 Almost 100,000 more UK businesses have tumbled into financial distress in the past three months as the impact of the pandemic continued to weigh on firms, according to new research published this morning. The latest quarter Red Flag Alert report by insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor found that around 723,000 businesses were in “significant financial distress” [...]
Revolution Bars sees profits hammered by lockdown restrictions April 13, 2021 Cocktail bar group Revolution Bars has reported losses across the board this morning, as its profits were hammered by lockdown restrictions. In the first half of 2020, enjoying just a few months before the pandemic forced lockdown restrictions, the group raked in £81.2m in total sales. With lockdown restrictions only easing yesterday, the group has [...]
Brooks Brothers UK goes into administration as suits fall out of fashion April 9, 2021 The UK division of US business attire retailer Brooks Brothers had gone into administration, after suffering from a lack of demand for its products as people worked from home. Begbies Traynor were yesterday appointed the company’s administrators, website Bisnow first reported. “The reason for my appointment as administrator of the UK company is of course [...]
Profit and revenue turn flat at Irn Bru owner AG Barr following rollercoaster year March 30, 2021 AG Barr saw profits and revenue fell in 2020 relative to the previous year, following a volatile and unpredictable year. Revenue at the firm, which owns brands Irn Bru and Rubicon, stood at £227m for its 2021 financial year, down 11 per cent from 2020, where revenue stood at £255.7m. The firm’s profit before [...]
National Express careers to £380m loss as pandemic forces emergency stop March 18, 2021 Coach firm National Express this morning reported a £381.4m operating loss for 2020 as the pandemic drove its vehicles off the road for months at a time. The FTSE 250 company saw passenger numbers plunge 80 per cent when last year’s initial lockdowns struck, sending profit and revenue tumbling. For the full year, it swung [...]
British fashion brand Ralph & Russo enters administration after Covid hits sales March 17, 2021 British luxury fashion brand Ralph & Russo has collapsed into administration after the coronavirus pandemic decimated sales. Ralph & Russo has appointed Begbies Traynor and Quantuma as administrators to investigate “all possible options” for the company. In a statement this afternoon, the company’s co-founder Tamara Ralph said trading conditions during the pandemic had put “tremendous [...]
Insolvencies fell to two-year low in February March 17, 2021 The number of company insolvencies last month stood at 686, the lowest monthly number recorded since January 2019. Figures released by the government’s Insolvency Service found the number of company insolvencies in February 2021 was 49 per cent lower than the same month in the previous year. February 2020 marked the month before the UK [...]
Begbies Traynor boss on pandemic insolvencies: ‘The worst is yet to come’ March 16, 2021 Begbies Traynor boss on pandemic insolvencies: 'The worst is yet to come'