◆ RETAIL
Insolvency and recovery advice for retail businesses
Understand the effect of stock, rent, supplier credit and seasonal trading on your company’s cash position.
◆ UNDERSTANDING YOUR POSITION
Check what stock is really worth
Stock shown at cost in the accounts may not achieve that amount in a sale. Review slow-moving lines, saleable stock, supplier ownership rights and any finance arrangements. Compare the cash required to replenish bestsellers with the money tied up in unwanted inventory.
Bring stock reports, supplier terms and sales margins after returns and discounts. Show online orders and deposits that still require fulfilment.
◆ PRESSURE POINTS
Where pressure
needs a closer look
Bring these issues into the first financial review. The right starting point depends on the structure and the full position.
Look beyond headline turnover
Measure gross profit after discounts, returns, fulfilment costs and platform fees. Store rent, rates, wages and utilities continue even when demand weakens. Online retailers also need to consider refunds and customer orders that remain unfulfilled.
Build a plan around the trading cycle
A seasonal peak may help only if the business can fund stock and meet new costs before receipts arrive. Explore creditor negotiations and restructuring against realistic forecasts. If closure is required, planning should address employees, customers, stock and lease obligations.
◆ PRACTICAL SUPPORT
Options to explore,
not a predetermined answer.
Bring stock reports, supplier terms and sales margins after returns and discounts. Show online orders and deposits that still require fulfilment.
View all services →HMRC Time to Pay
Review stock, premises and sales-channel costs when assessing recovery.
HMRC Tax Arrears
Compare tax repayment proposals with seasonal purchasing and ongoing store costs.
Company Rescue & Restructuring
Reconcile tax balances with supplier credit, rent and platform receipts.
Winding-Up Petition Advice
For a company facing a petition, bring the papers and explain outstanding customer orders.
◆ YOUR FIRST CONVERSATION
A starting point for retail businesses
Identify what sells, what is tied up and the costs after discounts and returns.
Show the funding needed before customer receipts arrive.
List unfulfilled orders, deposits and refunds alongside supplier debts.
◆ FURTHER READING
Useful starting points
Tax arrears: a starting point for retail businesses ↗Repayment planning for retail businesses ↗Further guidance for retail businesses ↗Bring stock reports, supplier terms and sales margins after returns and discounts. Show online orders and deposits that still require fulfilment.
◆ CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS ADVICE
Take stock of your next step.
Tell us about the stock, sales and bills putting pressure on the business. We will help focus the review on the figures that matter.
✓ Confidential first conversation
✓ Free and without obligation
✓ By telephone or video
◆ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions, answered plainly.
Should we value stock at its original cost?
Bring the stock report and explain how it was valued. Highlight old, damaged or slow-moving lines and any supplier ownership terms so the figures can be assessed rather than assumed.
What online selling costs should we include?
Show marketplace fees, payment charges, shipping, returns and fulfilment costs alongside sales. Identify funds held by platforms and the dates they are expected to be released.
What if seasonal sales are central to the plan?
Show the stock and staffing costs needed before those receipts arrive. Separate confirmed orders from projected demand and explain the assumptions behind the seasonal forecast.