Capital & Regional given the go-ahead for Walthamstow redevelopment August 28, 2018 Shopping centres owner Capital & Regional has been given the green light for a major mall development in Walthamstow today. The newly-approved plans to transform Walthamstow’s town centre includes more than 86,000 square feet (sq ft) of extended space that is set to be added to the area’s current site. According to Capital & Regional, [...]
Takeover battle heats up as Pebblebrook offer tempts LaSalle August 27, 2018 The takeover battle for LaSalle Hotel Properties took another turn today, as the luxury-hotel owner suggested it may reconsider a bid from Pebblebrook several months after agreeing to an acquisition from Blackstone. LaSalle said that an unsolicited bid from Pebblebrook Hotel Trust could lead to a "superior proposal", throwing the firm’s accepted takeover offer from Blackstone [...]
Payday lender Wonga pushed to the brink as claims management companies look for ‘next PPI’ August 27, 2018 Payday lender Wonga is considering insolvency among the options as it tries to deal with a deluge of complaints from claims management companies looking for “the next PPI”. Wonga said it is assessing “all options” for the group, which is struggling under the burden of a large number of compensation claims. The controversial firm raised [...]
Clock’s ticking: Payday lender Wonga is ‘on the brink of collapse’ following a spike in customer claims August 26, 2018 Embattled payday lender Wonga is facing insolvency, just three weeks on from receiving an emergency £10m cash injection. The London firm is expected to appoint Grant Thornton to act as its administrator if its board decides Wonga cannot avoid falling into insolvency, Sky News first reported. Today's administration fears follow several enquiries from claims management companies [...]
Government to crack down on ‘reckless’ company directors August 26, 2018 Directors who dissolve firms to avoid paying out pension pots or salaries to workers could get hit with hefty fines under a new government initiative. The Insolvency Service (IS) will be tackling directors who dodge paying their company's debts by dissolving the firm and then setting up a near identical business, in a process also known [...]
Iceland to take over a handful of former Poundworld stores while rescue deal falls through August 23, 2018 Iceland is to take over a handful of former Poundworld stores, but a deal to save another chunk of the chain's estate has now fallen through. The retailer closed the last of its 335 stores earlier this month, after crashing into administration in June. The Henderson family announced two weeks ago that they would take [...]
Pensions watchdog says Dominic Chappell knew BHS was insolvent when he bought it for £1 August 22, 2018 Dominic Chappell knew that BHS was insolvent when he bought it for just £1, the pensions watchdog has claimed. It follows fresh revelations in June that the retailer may not have been solvent in 2015, despite being signed off as a going concern by accountants. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) has already fined PwC a record £10m [...]
Construction industry breaks records as employment levels climb August 22, 2018 The UK’s construction industry enjoyed bumper levels of employment last year, as the value of new work hit its highest level on record. More than 1.3m construction workers were employed and new work was worth £109m in 2017, smashing pre-crisis levels as a result of private sector growth, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). [...]
Service sector profitability at lowest level in four years August 22, 2018 UK service sector profitability was at the lowest level in four years at the beginning of 2018 in a drop that was driven by the struggling high street. The area saw the sharpest decline in a year between January and March this year due to poor general retailer performance, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Profit [...]
Former Staples chain Office Outlet to close stores in new CVA filing August 19, 2018 Stationery chain Office Outlet, formerly known as Staples, is set to launch a Company Voluntary Arrangement – an insolvency procedure to reduce stores and costs – tomorrow and close a selection of its 96 UK stores. Sources today told Sky News that the retailer, which was bought by restructuring fund Hilco in 2016, will request a [...]