News Centre

Well-trained and well-qualified staff form one of the most important aspects of any successful business. Yet despite this the latest figures reveal that SMES are failing to provide their workforce with adequate training and development opportunities.

The recent news that the UK economy grew by a total of 0.3% in the first quarter of 2013 has been welcomed by economists across the region.

An asset is any property of value owned by a person or business. Assets can be both tangible and intangible, and both contribute towards the value of a business. While tangible assets include things like property, vehicles, shares and money in the bank, intangible assets include things like customer lists, licences and distribution agreements, a well-trained workforce and intellectual property, such as patents and copyrights.

In a challenging economic environment, businesses need to explore a number of options to ensure that they can continue to thrive. One key growth strategy that can be employed by struggling businesses is to exploit the full potential of both domestic and overseas markets.

While the news that the UK’s economy has narrowly swerved entering a triple-dip recession with a growth rate of 0.3% in the first quarter may provide a glimmer of hope for UK businesses, many firms are still struggling to make headway against a relatively subdued economic backdrop.

Once the decision is made that a struggling business must enter liquidation, the process can be surprisingly quick and always represents a large degree of closure for those involved.

With recent figures from Experian revealing that access to trade credit for SMEs has hit an all-time low (falling from 10% in 2008 to a current figure of 6.1%), SMEs may find themselves increasingly struggling to manage their finances.

The government is making yet another attempt to do what they can to facilitate UK SMEs as they attempt to drive the economy forward.

In most cases, businesses do not just give up the ghost and collapse spectacularly and instantaneously but, instead, deteriorate over time, eventually reaching a point where it becomes obvious that they can’t continue. This means that there are usually a great number of warning signs that should indicate something is wrong to managers of any business. These indicators give those in control an opportunity to find and implement a solution, reversing the fortunes of the business where possible. Business recovery specialists such as Moorfields can offer sustainable and practical assistance in dealing with everyone from creditors and financiers in this case.

A winter that has been marked by heavy snow and blizzards in some parts of the country has had a devastating impact on the UK’s agricultural sector.

Prompt payment is one of the most frustrating issues that SMEs across the UK are forced to deal with on a daily basis.

Much is made of the importance of maintaining a healthy cash-flow, but it is often the case that business owners and managers don’t properly understand the ideas behind the words. So, just what is cash-flow and what does it mean for your business? A simple definition of cash-flow would summarise it as the way in which cash comes into your business, moves around it and leaves the other side. It is essentially a measurement of how free capital is to enter, circulate and leave a business without becoming tied up.

It is essential that businesses have an action plan in place to ensure that they are able to recover quickly in the event of a major disruption, such as a significant loss in revenue.

The future of care homes in the UK could potentially be under threat, as an increasing number of elderly people struggle to meet care home costs.

Getting your taxes in order is a very important part of learning to function as an SME, but sometimes the process can seem complicated. If your business is potentially struggling in the current economic climate then tax affairs can seem even more daunting.

There is no doubt that the way in which the recent economic crisis placed severe restrictions on cash flow has had a far more damaging effect on small businesses than it has on large organisations. This is illustrated by the way in which job creation has proceeded at a much faster pace amongst larger companies than it has amongst small businesses, which are traditionally considered a reliable source of job creation. Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, explains that this is largely because of the way in which the squeeze on credit, in which it became harder to borrow and maintain a healthy cash flow, affected small businesses to a much larger extent, paralysing them in the process.

Research has shown that SMEs spend a staggering 130 hours each year chasing late payments, waiting a full 30 days beyond the agreed term on their invoice before receiving their payment.

Simon Thomas and Shelley Bullman of leading insolvency and restructuring firm Moorfields Corporate Recovery LLP were appointed Administrators of Restover Lodge Limited on the 15 April 2013.

Britain’s prolonged cold snap has had a devastating impact on UK business, with figures from a survey conducted by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) revealing that more than half (55%) of small firms have been hit hard by the spell of unseasonable weather.

A spate of recent statistics have indicated that the UK retail sector is in a notably tight spot at the moment as companies of all shapes and sizes battle to survive in the current economic climate.

There seems to be conflicting hopes and expectations among UK retailers as they face into the financial future, with a new survey overshadowing some positive results for a few big names in Q1 2013.

Leading restructuring and insolvency firm Moorfields Corporate Recovery has strengthened its Property Solutions team with the appointment of Paul Zalkin as senior manager.

Small businesses are struggling to grow in the wake of the financial crisis, as the volatile nature of the UK’s economy has meant that SMEs no longer have the “resources or morale” to take advantage of opportunities that could potentially bolster their operations.

Ambitious changes will shortly be brought in to Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) regulations under new government-led plans.

Getting set up in some quality office space is a key factor that every growing business has to consider at some point.

Against an uncertain economic backdrop, many businesses may consider joining forces with a firm operating in the same marketplace to enable them to increase their market share and broaden the scope of their operations.

The current economic climate has made it even tougher for small and medium sized enterprises to get ahead, begin to succeed and start the process of growth and expansion. However, these troubles are not always entirely down to an unstable financial environment, but are often caused by mistakes made within a struggling business or by its management.

When the time comes to acquire a much needed injection of funds into your business, it is important to be clear on exactly what you need to be aware of.

Despite the fact that recent figures have shown that the economy is making a gradual upturn, with GDP growing by 0.1% in Q1 according to estimates from the National Institute of Social and Economic Research (NIESR), some businesses may still be struggling to keep pace with the needs of an ever-changing market.

Property is an asset that can be particularly complex to assess once a struggling business heads towards administration.

Insolvency-related UK hotel sales are expected to reach record levels in 2013, with the decision by several banks to rapidly accelerate the deleveraging process widely accepted as the reason for this trend.

A new survey appears to suggest that opinions among SMEs are firmly divided on the general health of the UK economy, as well as where it is heading in the immediate future.

Forward planning is the key to the long-term success of any business. Despite this, almost two-thirds (61%) of UK SMEs in a recent survey admitted that they fail to forecast sufficiently.

Property insolvency can be an incredibly complex and opaque process that demands specialist knowledge and a thorough understanding of insolvency law and regulation. This is particularly true when the effect which the current economic climate has had on property markets is considered.

A new set of government statistics have indicated that there were a total of 276 receiverships among the 1,007 corporate insolvencies which were recorded in the fourth quarter of 2012 across England and Wales.

The Bank of England’s latest credit conditions survey has revealed that while lending to businesses increased in the first quarter of 2013, this increased availability failed to have an impact on small businesses – with SMEs reporting that there was little change in lending conditions in the first three months of the year.

The Chancellor’s decision to cut beer duty by 1p has been met with mixed reactions from those in the industry, with some arguing that it will provide the lift which the industry needs, while others have argued that the move doesn’t go far enough.

A new survey produced by the British Chambers of Commerce appears to indicate that the UK economy experienced improvement in the first quarter of 2013.

A new survey has placed an intriguing spotlight on the role that IT plays for SMEs in modern-day Britain, with the results suggesting that many companies may not be as reliant on technology as they may have initially thought.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) have both said that there may be hope yet for Britain’s economy. The OECD argued that the UK will swerve a triple-dip recession, while the BCC has argued that the first quarter of 2013 has seen key balances in the manufacturing and service sectors strengthened.

The UK manufacturing sector contracted once again in March, with poor weather and dwindling demand from the eurozone singled out as the key factors in the latest decline.

A newsletter for lenders and professionals exploring the challenges and opportunities facing the distressed real estate sector.

With businesses required to start reporting PAYE information to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in real time from April 6th, small firms across the UK have just days to ensure that their systems are suitably up to speed for the changeover.

When things become tight and you find that your business is heading for significant financial problems, it is important to search for functional methods of scaling down.

With UK businesses undoubtedly dismayed by the news that lending to SMEs has failed to be lifted by either the Funding for Lending Scheme or the government’s Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme, small business owners in the UK may be questioning if the finance pipeline is evolving to meet their needs.

The combination of a well-known dragon and a bold new Twitter campaign has helped to re-launch retailer Jessops during this past week.

With the news that the UK may not be able to swerve the feared triple-dip recession, businesses may need to remain reactive and be prepared to adapt to the changing needs of the market, to ensure that they are able to stay ahead of the competition.

Leading insolvency and rescue firm Moorfields Corporate Recovery LLP were awarded panel status to NAMA for the provision of Enforcement and Insolvency Services in the UK.