Press

Patisserie Valerie was worth £446m last week, but trading in its shares has now been suspended – this has been one of the biggest corporate collapses of recent times.

The collapse of Carillion has left clients and contractors reeling, and the damage is still being unpicked. The Midland Metropolitan Hospital is one project that completely stalled, but this week there is some good news.

Since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in April 2017, there has been little sign of success. A new enforcement that was supposed to allow for more businesses to take on more apprentices has resulted in confusion and resentment.

It’s hard to change the first impression – especially in business.

Tesco has launched a new concept company called Jack’s, a nod to Tesco founder Jack Cohen. Jack’s is a discount spin-off brand of the UK’s biggest retailer. Up to 15 Jack’s stores will open over the next 12 months, several of them repurposing existing Tesco properties while the rest will open up on new sites.

Typically, large businesses or private equity firms use commercial due diligence to make a judgement on whether an asset is worth investing in. The term can be used in other spheres like property, but the focus here is on company acquisition.

According to an analysis performed by the Altus Group, there are 190,000 businesses in the UK that have received a summons to appear before magistrates over unpaid business rates. New rates came into effect on 1 April 2017 and businesses are still reeling from the changes. One group of businesses feeling particularly hard done by are high street retailers.

The FCA launched their finalised guidance on the treatment of Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) for anti-money laundering purposes in July 2017; you can read it in full here, this article has consolidated the key points.