Another national energy supplier goes into administration & a major Scottish music store closes this week. What else has happened?
As the nights definitively draw in, it might leave us with more time to contemplate our business strategies for the rest of the year and beyond.
And hopefully some time to catch up on all the interesting and important business & insolvency news stories you might have missed from the past seven days.
So if you want to know more about why CCJs are near historically high levels; why pre-pack administrations can be so powerful; Why you should being an MVL before the Budget and what directors need to know about changes to the business energy market – you can read all these stories and more at our advice centre page.
Tomato Energy
A major UK energy supplier has gone into administration with Ofgem fining them for failing to meet financial resilience rules and now having to move 15,300 domestic and 8,400 commercial customers to a new supplier.
Rohan Churm, director for financial resilience and control at Ofgem said: “I want to reassure Tomato Energy customers that they do not need to worry. They will not see any disruption to their energy supply and any credit domestic customers have on their accounts remains protected under Ofgem’s rules.
“We have worked hard to improve the financial resilience of suppliers in recent years, implementing a series of rules to make sure they can weather unexpected shocks. But like any competitive market, some companies will still fail from time to time, and our priority is making sure consumers are protected if that happens and that any associated costs are minimised.”
British Gas has received the customers as part of Ofgem’s Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) process which marks the 31st supplier to collapse since 2021.
Kenny’s
A Glasgow music store has closed and gone into voluntary liquidation after 17 years in business.
Kenny’s Music was founded in 2008 in Glasgow selling guitars and musical instruments. It expanded to two other locations in Dunfermline and Aberdeen as well as having an online presence.
Despite achieving their best ever like-for-like sales in 2025, sharp rises in costs and a drop in margins made trading unsustainable.
Managing Director Alex Marten said: “Our sales this year have been our best ever and our expansion into pre-owned instruments has been hugely successful. But margins on big brand products are significantly down and costs – particularly wages and online marketing costs – have risen so sharply that even record sales can’t offset them.
“It’s with a heavy heart that despite the fantastic work by the team and a loyal customer base we are having to close our doors for the last time.
“The reality is that it’s become impossible to operate sustainably as a predominantly bricks and mortar musical instrument retailer in the UK in 2025, demonstrated by the fact that up to a quarter of music retail space has been lost this year alone.
“If physical shops are to survive, the model needs to change quickly.
“Major brands need to invest far more in grassroots bricks-and-mortar if they want to avoid the market being dictated entirely by large online platforms with little understanding of or care for musicians and the government needs to actively support businesses that play a positive role in the community.”
Bloody Good Period
A charity that fights for menstrual equity has announced that it is closing with six positions due to be made redundant.
Bloody Good Period (BGP) have appointed administrators to “ensure the process is handled properly”.
In a statement the charity said: “While there’s much we cannot say about the circumstances that brought us here, our story reflects the severe financial pressures facing the wider sector.”
BGP was established by Gabby Jahanshahi-Edlin in 2016 when she found out that only a few food banks and asylum seeker drop-in centres provided period products. The charity received most of its income through public fundraising and put out an urgent call for donations in 2023 as it struggled to meet demand for its services.
The statement continued: “This is a deeply sad day for everyone connected with our organisation. We care profoundly about BGP’s mission, as do all those who have worked, volunteered, supported and followed our journey since day one.
“No-one who shares our belief in a better world for menstruation ever wanted this outcome. Today is an especially terrible day for those who are losing their livelihoods and with the beneficiaries and communities who have valued our work over the years.”
Earle Group
A group of tile businesses operating from sites in Leeds, Bedford and Euxton, Lancashire has ceased trading and appointed administrators.
The companies affected are Ceramique Internationale Ltd (based in Leeds), Rowmarl Ltd (based in Bedford), Spectrum Tiles Ltd and Euxton Tile Supplies Ltd (both based in Euxton).
The four companies operated as separate legal entities under the Earle Group and Full Circle Group, a collective of tile businesses.
Administrators said the businesses had faced significant financial challenges and despite the efforts of the directors were unable to meet their ongoing liabilities. As a result, operations ceased and all 59 employees were made redundant.
Gillingham Street Angels
A homelessness charity in Kent is closing due to “imprudent financial and operational decisions” taken by former leaders.
Gillingham Street Angels supported people living in Medway affected by homelessness, financial hardship and food poverty but announced this week that the charity was no longer financially viable and must close.
The charity’s leadership was overhauled in March with a new interim chief executive, Tracey Errington, joining.
In the closure statement, Errington said “the trustees have not found a workable pathway to recover the charity from imprudent financial and operational decisions that were taken in the past” despite their best efforts to stabilise the charity.
The statement adds that following legal and regulatory advice, the trustees “understand that allowing GSA to struggle on in its current form would be irresponsible.”
The 2023 accounts said the charity expanded its operations within a “very short period of time and had not made sufficient changes to the operational structure to cope with this rapid expansion.”
The trustees did not give an exact date for its closure but they said services including food banks and shops would continue to operate as normal until further notice.
Scotch Frost
A Scottish frozen food firm has gone into administration with the loss of xx positions.
Scotch Frost were founded in Glasgow 57 years ago and were responsible for providing businesses across the UK with fresh and frozen food but had been hammered by rising costs and delays importing their supplies.
A statement from directors said this created a challenging environment for the firm. They said: “The business continues to identify alternative revenue streams that complement the existing products and markets we trade with, despite a period of intense competition, We must remain competitive in a challenging environment.”
Administrators confirmed that after consultation with the firm’s secured creditor in Japan, the directors had no viable way to continue trading.
Assent Business Compliance
One of the UK’s largest building control firms has confirmed that it has ceased trading.
Assent Building Compliance issued a statement confirming the news this week.
Clients of the 20-year-old certification firm have received project cancellation notices but no official message from Assent or administrators at time of writing. This leaves thousands of construction projects facing an uncertain future with companies needing to find a new building control approver within days of receiving the notice or seeing the project move to local authority control.
The news will not only affect direct customers and clients of the firm but also the wider construction sector due to the knock-on effect of ongoing projects needing to seek new inspectors.
As registered building-control approvers (RBCAs), they were authorised to carry out building control work on behalf of local authorities with Assent estimated to be working on between 15,000 and 20,000 council projects at one time.
Really Local Group
A group behind five London community cinemas has gone into voluntary liquidation.
The Really Local Group transformed derelict retail units and abandoned spaces into multi-use community spaces, combining cinema and live performance and cafe-bars.
The cinemas were Catford Mews, the Ealing Project, Sidcup Storyteller, Throwley Yard in Sutton and the Biscuit Factory in Reading.
The company’s first venue at Catford Mews was opened in 2019 but was closed by Lewisham Council on October 29th over £650,000 arrears since that date. Throwley Yard was closed by the council this month, a year after opening while the Reading, Sidcup and Ealing venues closed earlier this year with combined debts of around £2 million.
The group’s founder Preston Benson said: “The UK is being hamstrung by an anti-business environment at local government level. For a model like ours to thrive, councils must act as partners. Instead we encountered malicious obstruction that made long-term investment and operation impossible. Entrepreneurs aren’t a threat; we’re often the only ones willing to take risks to revive struggling high streets. We proved the model works. With the right environment, it could have transformed dozens more high streets across the UK.
“Ultimately, it doesn’t matter how the business failed; it did and I take full responsibility for that.”
Oh So Yum
A bakery and dessert chain founded by a former winner of the UK Apprentice TV show has closed via voluntary liquidation after trading for ten years.
Oh So Yum was founded in 2016 by Harpreet Kaur and had branches in Huddersfield, Bradford and Leeds. She secured a £250,000 loan from Lord Sugar to invest in the business in 2022 although he departed from the business in 2023.
The company noted that the impact of the pandemic and changes to how people shopped led to significant disruption to the business and despite the growth in delivery platforms delivering some success, the business did not recover.
A statement from the company said: “High platform fees and increased overheads as a result of post-Covid economic conditions impacted profitability and with footfall having not returned to Pre-Covid levels, the decision was taken to close the Bradford outlet in a bid to reduce costs. The poor condition of the roof of the Huddersfield branch led to flooding in January, forcing it to shut.
“Despite attempts to find alternative ways to continue, the company’s finances meant that a return to trading activity was not possible. The company was clearly insolvent by virtue of the fact that it could not pay its debts as and when they fell due and that its liabilities were greater than its assets.”
SilkFred
An online fashion retailer which featured over 500 brands has gone into administration and disconnected their online shop.
SilkFred was founded in 2011 and specialised in womenswear with a portfolio of brands including Apricot, Pretty Lavish, Lily and Lionel and Goddiva.
SilkFred confirmed that they were going into administration in a post on Instagram which said: “We’re heartbroken to share that SilkFred has entered administration.
“In recent years, the ongoing cost-of-living crisis has placed immense pressure on consumers, while rising costs and increasing competition from overseas fast fashion have made it increasingly difficult for independent brands to survive. We remain incredibly proud of what SilkFred has achieved – helping women discover outfits that made them feel amazing, while supporting hundreds of independent designers to grow their businesses.”
There are just under two weeks to go before the Budget which might include some big changes for directors and their businesses.
We’ll be covering these ahead of time but there’s still plenty of time to take the decisions that can be beneficial to your business in 2026 and beyond.
Get in touch with us today to chat with one of our advisors about what options you’ve got on the table – usually more than you realise!
The sooner you make contact, the sooner you can begin to move forward to better times ahead.