Joules tanks as insolvency talk spooks market September 29, 2022 Share tanked over 32 per cent this evening for Joules after reports that the beleaguered retailer was weighing up insolvency options. As first reported by Mark Kleinman for Sky News, the British lifestyle brand is working with Interpath Advisory on a company voluntary arrangement (CVA), which would allow the firm to renegotiate liabilities, but could [...]
Letters: Kicking the can down the road September 23, 2022 [Re: Government unveils energy support package to ‘stop businesses collapsing’, Sep 21] If energy bills continue to rise as expected beyond Wednesday’s six month announcement, one in seven businesses may either close down or have to downsize. The economic damage this would cause includes insolvencies, wreaking further havoc on supply chains, SMEs, and sectors with [...]
Ka-Ching! Brits pay instantly £1.65bn more in interest after today’s Bank of England rate hike September 22, 2022 With the Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee confirming its base rate will rise by 0.5 per cent to 2.25 per cent, UK households face an immediate increase in interest payments of £1.65bn. Analysis of Bank of England data shows UK households are currently paying £20.25bn annually in interest payments on floating rate debt that are [...]
London’s FTSE 100 bumps higher after government halves firms’ energy bills September 21, 2022 London’s FTSE 100 bumped higher today as investors digest the details of the government’s energy support package for UK businesses. The capital’s premier index climbed 0.63 per cent to 7,237.64 points, while the domestically-focused mid-cap FTSE 250 index, which is more aligned with the health of the UK economy, rose 1.01 per cent to 18,714.67 [...]
Sanjeev Gupta’s auditor King & King quit over lack of evidence September 21, 2022 The tiny firm that audits the accounts of Sanjeev Gupta’s steelmaking empire has said it resigned from auditing four of the magnate’s companies due to being unable to complete its audits because a “lack of sufficient information.” In a letter filed to Companies House, King & King said it had resigned as auditor four of [...]
Exclusive: ‘Covid papered over many cracks which gave firms a false positive’, warns Leonard Curtis CEO September 20, 2022 City A.M. reported recently that millions of people across the UK are now struggling to make ends meet, with only one in ten saying they don’t have any financial concerns. And it’s not just individuals that are struggling: Rising bills are the biggest worry for UK businesses, with many concerned about the spiralling cost of [...]
Hospitality hit ‘from both sides’ of energy price crisis as number of insolvent firms shoots up September 18, 2022 There has been a huge spike in the number of company insolvencies in the past year by 72 per cent, as hospitality bears the brunt of soaring energy bills. New figures from the Insolvency Service show pubs, bars and restaurants have been the worst affected, being “from both sides” by the cost of living crisis. [...]
Letters: When the going gets tough September 15, 2022 [Re: Tax cuts are not enough to help the small businesses facing crippling energy bills, Sept 2] Businesses are facing soaring costs and weakening demand which threatens their existence. From the start of April to the end of June, there were over 5,600 registered company insolvencies in the UK, an 81 per cent increase from [...]
City Moves: Who’s switching jobs in the Square Mile? September 14, 2022 City A.M.’s Millie Turner provides a roundup of the most important hires and job moves across the City, every morning. Email citymoves@cityam.com to be featured. Orrick Law firm Orrick has posted a fresh partner into its fintech team, focused on providing regulatory counsel on payment services, e-money issuers, crypto-asset issuers, wallets and exchanges. Dan Jones, based in London, joins from US law [...]
Squire Patton Boggs bolsters London bankruptcy practice in preparation for worsening economic climate September 7, 2022 US law firm Squire Patton Boggs has bolstered its London bankruptcy team in anticipation of worsening economic conditions. The law firm said it had poached five restructuring and insolvency lawyers from rival Brown Rudnick, including Charlotte Møller, the head of the firm’s EU bankruptcy practice. The hires come as Squire Patton Boggs said it anticipates [...]