Small business investment falls amid £14bn late payment crisis

The number of small firms planning to decrease investment has hit an 18-month high, according to new research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). It was announced on Friday that UK business investment fell to £46.1 billion between Q4 2017 and Q1 2018. Seven in ten (69%) small firms are not planning to increase…

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Scottish business debt decrees increase

The number of debt decrees registered against Scottish companies sharply rose during the first quarter of 2018, according to latest figures released by Registry Trust. There were 750 decrees issued against all businesses in Scotland during Q1 2018, four percent more than during the same period of the previous year. A massive 39 percent rise in…

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Retail sector insolvencies increase by 7% increase in a year

The number of retailers entering insolvency has increased by 7% in the past year from 999 in 2015/16 to 1,071 in 2017/18 according to new research by insolvency specialist RPC. RPC says that the retail sector continues to suffer from a high-cost base whilst the shift in sales from the high street to the internet…

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Business CCJs rise

The total value of adverse county court judgments (CCJs) recorded in England and Wales rose sharply during the first quarter of the year, according to figures released today by Registry Trust. Rising seven percent compared to Q1 2017, this bucked a four-year trend where the number of CCJs issued had fallen year-on-year. However, an unusual…

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More needs to be done to end the ‘£14 billion late payment crisis’

In the latest report into the collapse of Carillion, the Work and Pensions and Beis committees called Carillion’s rise and fall “a story of recklessness, hubris and greed” Responding to the publication of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Work and Pensions Committees’ full report on Carillion, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) National Chairman…

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Castle Water announces acquisition of Invicta Water

Castle Water has announced its acquisition of Invicta Water, which provides water services to 50,000 business customers in South East Water’s service area. Customers will transfer to Castle Water in July, and do not need to do anything themselves for their accounts to move over. Castle Water has already successfully transferred over 300,000 customers in…

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Carillion used suppliers to “prop up failing business model”

Ahead of the launch of the final report of their inquiry into the collapse of Carillion this week, the Work and Pensions and BEIS Committees has published evidence from Santander, the bank which operated Carillion’s Early Payment Facility. The report has found that despite being signatories of the Prompt Payment Code, Carillion were “notorious late…

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HMRC spend on private sector debt collectors soars by 62%

14th May 2018 Arrears and Recoveries |

The HMRC has increased its spend on private sector debt collectors by 62% in the last year to £39m in 2017, up from £24m in 2016, says UHY Hacker Young, the national accountancy group. UHY Hacker Young says that the steep rise in spending on private sector debt collectors could suggest that HMRC may be…

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Huddersfield bottom of Premier League payments table

New data released by Creditsafe’s Prompt Payment Premier League, has revealed Huddersfield Town takes on average 53 days beyond payment terms to pay invoices for its suppliers, the worst of any team from England’s top division. Meanwhile, Brighton & Hove Albion, who like Huddersfield had played their first season in the Premier League, top the rankings,…

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Anglia announces new management team appointments

Credit management specialist, Anglia UK has announced that it has strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of two new directors. Lyn Danaher and Duane Snelling join with more than 20 years’ experience each in the vehicle finance and credit industry. Beginning her career with NatWest, Danaher moved on to work for Deutsche Bank…

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Global average payment terms reach a ten-year high 

Euler Hermes publishes its annual review and forecast of global average Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), based on a sample of 20 sectors and 36 countries. According to the 2017 figures, DSO reached its highest level since 2007 at 66 days. This trend is expected to continue in 2018 with global average DSO to rise by…

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INSOLVENCY NOTICES: Winding Up Petitions – April 2018

Winding up Petitions (Companies) have been issued and advertised in the London Gazette for the following companies: 21ST CENTURY ECO-HOMES LTD 321 TRAVEL LTD 3RD POINT THINKING LTD A S ELECTRICAL SERVICES (SOUTHERN) LTD A. G. AXTON & SONS (WHOLESALE) LTD ABACUS WILLS & TRUSTS LTD ABD CORPORATE SERVICES LTD ACCH (HENDON) LTD ACQUISITION 395448472…

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Half of UK small businesses currently operating in the red

Half of the small businesses in the UK are currently operating in the red, according to the latest Small Business Insights published by Xero. According to new data, only 49.5 percent of businesses were operating in positive cash flow last year. Despite the various government initiatives that have been attempted, the UK’s biggest firms are still…

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