Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
Latest British Retail Consortium data has shown that consumer demand slowed in the summer heat wave. Total retail sales increased by 1.3% year on year in July, against a growth of 2.5% in July 2025. This was below the 12-month average growth of 1.8%. Food sales increased by 3.8% year on year in July, against…
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Research by Dun & Bradstreet has found that the UK’s largest businesses are the country’s worst payers, as insolvencies remain at their highest sustained level since the financial crisis The data showed that the largest businesses pay suppliers on time on fewer than one in seven occasions. Businesses employing more than 1,000 people paid suppliers…
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Three in ten small business owners (31%) say they are already using AI to support their enterprises – although 27% say they either have no plans to use it – and a further 21% don’t regard AI as relevant to their business, according to new research from Novuna Business Finance. Whilst some small businesses see…
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CEOs are maintaining confidence in their companies’ growth prospects despite navigating an increasingly volatile business environment marked by geopolitical disruption, rising energy costs and more complex strategic decision-making, according to research by PwC. The survey of hundreds of CEOs across more than 50 countries finds overall confidence in revenue growth has remained unchanged over the…
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Latest research from the Finance & Leasing Association for Q2 has shown an improvement in confidence across the finance and leasing industry, despite continued economic uncertainty. While most respondents (61%) still expected UK economic conditions to weaken over the next 12 months, this was down from 81% in Q1 2026. At the same time, the…
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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are missing out on an estimated £54 billion in revenue due to a lack of confidence in accessing external finance, according to new research from broker-lender Portman Finance Group. The research found that 30% of businesses have missed a growth opportunity because of a lack of external finance, with affected…
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The UK economy has demonstrated continued resilience despite disruption from the conflict in the Middle East and is now forecast to grow at a slightly better-than-expected pace in 2026, according to the new EY UK Economic Outlook. EY predicts that UK GDP will grow by 0.9% in 2026, a slight increase from the 0.8% growth…
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Business confidence in the UK hit a four-month high, rising five points to 49% in July, two points higher than the 12-month average of 47%, according to the Lloyds Business Barometer. This was driven by an increase in economic optimism, reflecting the decline in global energy prices, the Bank of England holding interest rates and…
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The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leaders’ optimism about prospects for the UK economy, fell marginally to -63 in July 2026, down from -61 in June. Business leader confidence in their own organisations also fell, to -2 in July from +7. The majority of the underlying indicators also declined; revenue expectations fell…
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The number of UK businesses entering insolvency-related processes fell in the second quarter of 2026, but a decline in new company registrations suggests business confidence remains subdued, according to R3 analysis. R3’s latest Quarterly Business Health report, based on data from Creditsafe found there were 6,854 insolvency-related activities in Q2 2026, down 6% compared to…
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Shop price inflation slowed to 0.9 per cent higher than the previous year in July, down from 1.2 per cent in June, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Inflation on non-food products fell to 0.2 per cent from 0.6 per cent, and overall food price inflation fell from 2.4 per cent from…
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New research by Money.co.uk has found that childcare providers are struggling to break even despite childcare fees increasing. Analysis of 2025 Department for Education data reveals that the average private nursery in England makes just £933.66 profit per child each year — around £78 per month — after operating costs. Far from profiteering, many providers…
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The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) says that the AI Minister’s new cabinet role allows the Government to help small firms adopt the technology with confidence, FSB has a new report, days after Prime Minister Andy Burnham gave AI Minister Kanishka Narayan a seat at the Cabinet table. The report found that 59 per cent…
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