Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
A luxury car hire company which took thousands of pounds from customers and repeatedly failed to deliver vehicles or refund their money has been shut down. Classic Parade Ltd claimed to operate from an office in Knightsbridge, offering the hire of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and other supercars through its website. However, Insolvency Service investigations found a…
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Finance leaders have become progressively more optimistic about AI improving their own businesses’ performance, as 73% now report an improvement in AI optimism over the last 12 months, compared to 59% in Q4 2025 and 39% in Q3 2024. Nearly all CFOs (96%) expect to see a rise in investment in digital technology and assets…
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EY-Parthenon’s latest data has shown that FTSE retailers issued five profit warnings in Q2 2026, up from three in the first quarter of the year. This makes 2026 only the third year since 2007 in which the sector has recorded more warnings in the second quarter compared to the first. FTSE retailers issued a total…
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Andy Burnham has become the UK’s new Prime Minister, following a trip to Buckingham Palace after Keir Starmer formally resigned. In his first speech Burnham has set out his domestic priorities. Responding to the appointment of Andy Burnham and his first speech as the new Prime Minister of the UK, Jonathan Geldart, Director General of…
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A fraudster who illegally obtained five Covid loans at the height of the pandemic has been jailed. Cardiff-based Rupali Wagh fraudulently applied for £216,250 in Bounce Back Loans for her four companies between May and September 2020. The 50-year-old inflated the turnover of her businesses to secure the loans and used some of the funds…
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New figures released by the Finance & Leasing Association (FLA) show that total asset finance new business (primarily leasing and hire purchase) grew by 2% in May 2026 compared with the same month in 2025. In the first five months of 2026, new business was 5% higher than in the same period in 2025. The…
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The percentage of small businesses predicting growth has fallen to 24% – its lowest level for 12-years, with significant downturns in the construction (15%), retail (21%) and hospitality (21%) sectors. Whilst small business growth forecasts rose modestly in the north west, they fell in every other region of England and Wales – with the position…
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The UK’s economy returned to growth of 0.1 per cent in May after contracting the previous month, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). In the three months to May, the economy grew by 0.7 per cent after previously slowing in the second quarter. Growth was driven by the services sector, which…
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UK businesses are under growing strain as supply chain costs surge, with nearly three-quarters (72%) of business leaders reporting increases in the past year – double the level seen over the previous two years (36%), according to RSM research, The data showed that almost a third of businesses said they recovered from price shocks within…
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The next 12 months could see a significant contraction in the small-business and self-employed community, according to new research by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). In the second quarter of this year, the proportion of small firms that expect to grow over the next year reached its lowest ever point in the history of…
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Latest data from Allianz Trade showed that the Cash Collection Cycle (CCC) rose again in 2025 (67 days) and appears to have settled at a structurally high plateau, with the driver being inventories, with companies moving away from ‘just-in-time’ efficiency toward ‘just-in-case’ resilience. The UK maintained a 40-day cash collection cycle in 2025, shorter than…
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More than one in five (22%) SMEs fear they could be forced out of business over problems paying tax bills in the next five years, according to new research from Premium Credit. The study of SME owners and managers found nearly two out of five (39%) say they have missed up to four tax bill…
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The Business and Trade Committee has asked the Department to reconsider the Government’s ‘inadequate’ response to proposals to improve UK plans for small business growth. In February of this year the Committee reported that small businesses across the UK were facing cost pressures comparable to the conditions of the pandemic, but without pandemic-style support packages.…
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