Fears over the future of embattled toy retailer Toys R Us continue to mount after its UK business announced it was to seek a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) to handle a mounting debt crisis.
The company, which is thought to have made a trading loss for seven out of the past eight years, has announced plans to close a minimum of 26 stores in the UK, with a loss of 800 jobs.
Read more: Toys R Us to Seek CVA with UK Store Closures Announced
Wholesaler Palmer & Harvey has entered administration after failing to restructure significant debts owed to suppliers.
The Palmer & Harvey Group, the UK’s fifth-largest privately owned business and the country’s largest tobacco supplier, had been in takeover talks with Carlyle, the private equity firm.
Read more: Palmer & Harvey Enter Administration After Debt Burden Bites
New figures have revealed that UK construction contractors have been hit by £700 million in cash retention losses caused by insolvencies in the past three years.
The figures, which come from a report commissioned by the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), have rightly been described as ‘shocking’ by the trade body the SEC Group.
The SEC claims that the brunt of those losses have been borne by small sub-contractors who, sitting further down the feeding chain, are less likely to recover monies owed to them if a client or main contractor goes bust.
Read more: Shocking losses underlines need for an independent retention service
While economic growth continues to be sluggish at home, plenty of UK businesses are finding opportunities to do business abroad.
Latest figures show that UK exports outside the EU are enjoying a surge. They rose by an impressive 8.3 per cent in 2016 to a value of £311.6 billion, compared with exports to the EU amounting to £235.9 billion.
Read more: Which Countries Are a Safe Pair of Hands on Insolvency?
