Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data has shown that Inflation rose to 3.4 per cent in December, slightly above forecasts, ending a five-month cooling trend. The rise was driven mainly by tobacco duty timing and volatile air fares. Core inflation held steady at 3.2 percent, while services inflation rose modestly to 4.5 percent, below…
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New data analysis by Growth Flag has highlighted that thousands of UK firms projected to deliver strong growth next year are already showing signs of financial strain. The research, which analysed more than 4.3 million UK businesses, found a shrinking pipeline of firms achieving strong growth and a widening base of companies under pressure. Just…
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Latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data has shown that the economy grew by 0.3% in November, marking the fastest growth since the 0.4% recorded in April. Analysts had been expecting monthly GDP growth of just 0.1%. The growth was driven by a return to production at Jaguar Land Rover and strong performance in the…
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Business confidence sank into negative double-digit territory for the first time in three years amid unprecedented fears over the tax burden and weaker activity, according to the ICAEW research. Sentiment in Q4 2025 stood at -11.1 on ICAEW’s Business Confidence Monitor (BCM) index, its lowest point since Q4 2022, having dropped from -7.3 in the…
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Total retail sales increased by 1.2% year on year in December, against a growth of 3.2% in December 2024. This was below the 12-month average growth of 2.3% according to analysis by the British Retail Consortium. Food sales increased by 3.1% year on year in December, against a growth of 1.7% in December 2024. This…
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Confidence among small business owners has dropped to its lowest level since 2020, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). The FSB’s quarterly small business index fell by 13 points, with a confidence score of minus 71. Taxation emerged as the primary concern for 64% of 1,200 respondents, marking a record high. The FSB…
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Latest analysis by BDO of retail sales showed that December marked the worst set of total monthly sales figures since November 2024, with total like-for-like retail sales dropping by -1.4% in December. In-store sales fell by -0.5% and online sales by -0.6%, compared to December 2024, as sales volumes declined across channels. This follows disappointing…
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The Resolution Foundation has warned that 2026 could be a turning point for UK productivity, but expects short-term pain from the collapse of struggling ‘zombie’ firms. Rising interest rates, energy costs, and higher minimum wages are likely to force inefficient businesses to exit the market, creating opportunities for more productive replacements. The Foundation says that…
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New research from Novuna Business Finance has revealed a five-year peak in the percentage of small business owners (84%) who are starting 2026 with plans to invest in new growth initiatives to make their enterprises stronger for the year ahead Following a challenging trading period in 2025, during which the percentage of small business owners…
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The British Retail Consortium has warned that shop price inflation is likely to remain elevated into 2026 as retailers face ongoing labour, logistics and compliance costs. Latest data shows that shop price inflation picked up to 0.7% year on year in December, against growth of 0.6% in November. This is in line with the 3-month…
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The IoD (Institute of Directors) Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism in prospects for the UK economy, ticked up to -66 in December 2025 from the (pre-Budget) November level of -73. Once business leaders had a little more time to reflect on the impact of last year’s Budget on confidence in their…
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Deloitte’s latest survey of UK Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) shows that 59% of the UK’s largest businesses have become more optimistic over the past 12 months on the potential for AI to boost the performance of their own organisation – up from 39% when last measured in the third quarter of 2024. CFOs overwhelmingly (96%)…
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Business confidence in the UK has fallen, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), with only 46% (compared with 48% in Q3) of companies expecting increased sales this year and 24% saying they expect to see a decline in turnover. The survey saw 63% of firms polled cite tax rises as their primary concern,…
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