Pendragon called on restructuring firms to mitigate effects of industry car crash September 8, 2019 As the car industry continues to splutter, one of Britain’s biggest dealers has turned to restructuring experts to try to halt its downward spiral of profits. Pendragon, which owns the ubiquitous Evans Halshaw car dealership brand, spoke to several firms about helping shake up its spending earlier this year, but the process was cut short [...]
Not in the pink anymore: Jack Wills collapse leaves creditors out of pocket September 8, 2019 Jack Wills owed over £100m to creditors including HSBC and several councils when it collapsed into administration last month. The preppy clothing brand was bought by Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct for £12.8m in August, faces leaving a slew of companies out of pocket. Read more: Jack Wills stores at risk as Sports Direct kicks off [...]
UK firms appoint staff at slowest rate in three years September 6, 2019 Companies hired permanent workers at the slowest rate in over three years in August, according to a new survey, in a sign that the jobs boom in Britain is slowing. Read more: BoE’s Mark Carney says UK now better-prepared for no-deal Brexit August also saw the weakest increase in total job vacancies in over six [...]
Hot weather fails to heat up high street retail sales in August September 6, 2019 Bricks and mortar retailers suffered a further blow last month as soaring temperatures failed to heat up high street sales. Like-for-like in store sales dropped 0.1 per cent in August from a base of minus 2.7 per cent in the same month last year as retailers were unable to convert rising footfall into purchases. Read [...]
Oil services deals fail to take off even years after downturn September 6, 2019 The amount of consolidation in the oil services sector is slowing, experts warned today, as companies in the sector face difficulties. The number of mergers or acquisitions (M&A) allowed to 37 in the first half of 2019, new data shows, a reduction from 64 in the same period last year. Read more: Creditors of Gulf [...]
Tech giants are winning the war for talent, Glassdoor finds September 5, 2019 Tech giants dominate the rankings of the UK’s most popular employers as finance firms fall behind in the race to win top talent, according to a report published today. Read more: Tech founders warn UK at risk of losing global fintech crown Amazon topped the list of the 15 most sought-after companies over the last [...]
Grant Thornton set for scrutiny as Patisserie Valerie handed to liquidators September 5, 2019 Embattled auditor Grant Thornton is set to face renewed scrutiny as Patisserie Valerie’s liquidators prepare to pursue claims against third parties connected to a multi-million pound hole in the cafe chain’s finances. Administrators KPMG will pass the case on to FRP Advisory later this month. Read more: Patisserie Valerie appoints administrators for Grant Thornton probe [...]
Retailers warned to ramp up contingency plans as sales growth slumps September 3, 2019 Retailers were warned to prepare for further political and economic turbulence as like-for-like retail sales growth dipped last month in the latest blow for the UK high street. Bricks and mortar sales, not including food products, decreased by 0.5 per cent on a like-for-like basis from August last year. Read more: Retail sales get surprise [...]
When business partners behave badly: How to rein in a shady coworker September 2, 2019 In the wake of the #MeToo movement, there has been a great deal of focus on how to tackle the toxic work culture that exists in some industries and businesses. Many companies have been pushing for cultural change, motivated by the desire to create inclusive work environments, and limit the reputational and financial damage that [...]
Auditor ranking race narrows as FTSE 100 firms spread out September 2, 2019 Prized FTSE 100 clients are now more evenly spread out among the Big Four accountancy giants than at any time in almost 15 years, with some of the UK’s top auditors losing out to their rivals after an intense year of scrutiny and high-profile failures. The blue-chip client league table for auditors has “never been [...]