Revealed: Thomas Cook went bust with liabilities of £9bn December 16, 2019 Thomas Cook collapsed with total liabilities of £9bn, it has emerged this morning, making the immediate financial toll of the company going bust even greater than that of Carillion in early 2018. In a report on the failure released this morning, it has emerged the travel operator owed £585m to customers and £45m to employees [...]
Has-beans? What Chilango’s CVA tells us about the struggling casual dining sector December 11, 2019 Mexican chain Chilango offers its customers a choice between three different types of salsa: mild, medium, or hot. Faced with those options, who chooses the middle one? This is – in a way – the conundrum facing the increasingly polarised casual dining sector. Nowadays, customers either want fast, cheap fuel, or they want a quality [...]
Online retailer Koovs on brink of administration after failing to secure £6.5m funding December 10, 2019 India-focused online retailer Koovs announced it has applied for administration this afternoon after its biggest shareholder Future Lifestyle Fashions refused to invest an additional £6.5m into the company. London-listed Koovs saw its shares suspended today after it announced had been unable to secure alternative funding. Read more: Koovs hangs hopes on 2020 growth despite drop [...]
Insolvency firm Begbies Traynor’s boss says retail carnage expected to continue December 10, 2019 The executive chairman of restructuring and insolvency specialist Begbies Traynor said today that there was no sign of the carnage on the High Street ending as the growth in e-retailing and shaky consumer confidence continued to take their toll. “Headwinds in terms of consumer demand with uncertainty over what the future will hold and structural [...]
Investors gear up for Park First legal battle December 8, 2019 Investors in an alleged £230m parking space scam are due to meet this week to plot a legal battle against the founders of the collapsed firm in a bid to seize control over its administration. According to a report in The Sunday Times, investors in the unregulated scheme, many of who are pensioners, are meeting [...]
New buyers on standby for British Steel if Jingye deal falls through December 8, 2019 Business secretary Andrea Leadsom has reassured the steel industry that back-up buyers are ready to swoop in for British Steel should Chinese firm Jingye’s deal fall through. Last month the Insolvency Service confirmed that Jingye would purchase British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant, along with its Teeside and French assets, for £50m, in a move that will [...]
Ex-Addison Lee chief races to secure rescue deal December 8, 2019 The former chief executive of minicab operator Addison Lee is scrambling to secure a rescue deal for the firm. Liam Griffin, who stepped down as chief executive in 2015 but remained on the board as vice-chairman, has approached investment funds to back his £125m takeover of the firm, Sky News reported. Read more: Cerberus mulls [...]
Construction disputes rise as Carillion fallout continues to hurt industry December 5, 2019 The number of construction disputes in the High Court has increased in the last year, as contractors struggle with tougher trading conditions, according to research. The UK’s specialist Technology & Construction Court (TCC) heard 397 construction related disputes in the year ending 30 June, the third consecutive annual rise. Read more: Reforming public procurement can [...]
Two lessons from the underperformance of alternative energy December 4, 2019 Renewable energy is playing an ever-greater part in the mix of energy we use to power our daily lives. Potential investors in the sector may assume that it’s too late to get involved. Surely the best returns from companies exposed to the energy transition have already been made by now? Investors making that assumption may [...]
Intu sells retail park to New River REIT for £40m November 25, 2019 Retail landlord Intu has sold a Northern Ireland retail park to property investment trust New River REIT for £40m. The sale of Sprucefield Retail Park in Lisburn brings Intu’s year-to-date disposals total to £268m, as the shopping centre operator aims to fix its balance sheet. Read more: New River REIT swings to a loss on [...]