Carpetright, the UK flooring company, has announced that it is considering a Company Voluntary Arrangement with the aim of “rationalising the company’s property portfolio in order to improve the long-term prospects of the business”. This is expected to enable the business to close unprofitable shops and reduce their rent bill. With 409 shops across the … Continue Reading
“There’s a magical place, we’re on our way there, with toys in their millions, all under one roof – it’s called… Toys R Us!” The lyrics resonate with millions worldwide. The advert is as iconic as Coca Cola’s “Holidays Are Coming” commercial or the Sainsbury’s “Christmas is for sharing” World War 1 cinematic ad. Sadly, … Continue Reading
Introduction With Christmas fast approaching and black Friday/Cyber Monday having passed, retailers will be hoping for a big spike in sales this December to add some sparkle to another challenging year. The uncertain political environment both domestic and abroad has had a visible impact on consumer confidence and, coupled with rising prices and a weak pound, is adding to … Continue Reading
The recent Court of Appeal case of JCAM Commercial Real Estate Property XV Limited v. Davis Haulage Limited [2017] EWCA Civ 267 has set out the importance of there being a settled intention to enter administration and indicated that this is a pre-requisite to an out of court appointment being validly made. The judge at first … Continue Reading
Only a month ago we were singing the praises of the CVA and calling them the saviour of the high street following the creditors’ approval of the BHS CVA. (See our earlier blog Move over Mary Portas, CVA’s are the real saviour of the High Street). In the last week, administrators were appointed to both BHS and … Continue Reading
Is UK Retail still in the doldrums? Christmas is a critical time for most retailers and can be the difference between life and death for many high street stores. With the economy’s recovery in its early stages and purse strings remaining tight, Christmas 2014 was never expected to be all tinsel and mistletoe. Christmas trading … Continue Reading
We consider in the attached article the rise of the use of Company Voluntary Arrangements (“CVAs”) by retailers in the United Kingdom who need to reduce their store portfolio in a time of declining footfall in the high street. We examine the reasons why a CVA may be a practical way to reduce rent overheads … Continue Reading
