The last round-up of the year is here
Whether you’ve already broken up for the Christmas and New Year break or are going to be working diligently through – we hope you have a happy and restful time and great start to 2026!
So before things get even busier, we hope you’ll grab a moment to catch up on all the important and interesting business & insolvency news stories you might have missed in the past seven days.
So if you want to know why it’s not a wonderful life if you receive a CCJ before Christmas; Why a Time To Pay arrangement could give you and your business space to breathe; Why closing your solvent business with an MVL is a great gift directors can give themselves; Why pre-pack administrations benefits creditors, employees and directors too and why Insolvency legend Kevin Pinkerton is joining BusinessRescueExpert – you can read all these stories and more at our advice centre page.
News Transport
A family-run, 55-year-old haulage business operating from Bedfordshire has gone into administration.
News Transport was founded in 1969 and is run by the third member of the same family.
The business offers a courier service in Luton and the surrounding area and is a logistics partner for both national and international pallet networks as a member of the Pallet Network.
Their current haulage operator licence authorising 10 HGVs and six trailers from their Ampthill base.
Designs In Mind CIC
A Shropshire based social enterprise has gone into voluntary liquidation.
Designs in Mind CIC ceased operations in October with all staff being made redundant at the time.
Designs in MInd was founded more than three decades ago and incorporated as a CIC in 2005 from studios in Oswestry, offering creative skills development and supporting making activities for adults living with mental health challenges.
At its peak, the organisation supported more than 80 members through a team of trained artists, administrative staff and volunteers.
A statement from directors said: “The Directors of Designs in Mind have made the difficult decision to opt for liquidation after funding challenges since the pandemic and ongoing obstacles to navigate from rising energy and operational costs.
“Despite efforts to improve the Company’s financial position and protect its profitability, it was unable to continue the services for its members. In November, having already ceased trading, the business had to take the unfortunate step of making staff redundant.”
Richard House Children’s Hospice
A London-based Children’s Hospice will close at the end of December.
Richard House Children’s Hospice in Newham provided NHS services to the North East London Integrated Care Board which commissions NHS services.
A statement from the board said: “The Trustees of Richard House children’s hospice in Newham announced they were closing on December 18.
“We’ve been working closely with Richard House for several months in the hope of finding ways to secure its future. Unfortunately, despite funding the hospice to the maximum level we’re permitted to, exploring merger options and continuing to work with them on other solutions, its trustees have now notified us that they believe the challenges it faces are simply too great.”
Two of the charity’s shops have indicated that they are closing too.
Richard House was opened in 2000 by Anthea Hare, a former paediatric nurse at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.
Genius Brewing
A Glasgow brewer that specialises in light beers has gone into administration.
Genius Brewing were formed in 2017 and appeared on Dragon’s Den to raise their profile and attract funding.
Co-founder and creative director Jason Clarke said: “This is a sad day that I hoped would never come but for the past 18 months one which has been increasingly inevitable.”
“It’s been a brutal couple of years for the UK’s challenger craft brand as routes to market collapsed, but for Genius Brewing in particular, it’s also been hugely frustrating to see the rise in moderation being captured by lower-abv reformulations of mega-brands. Sadly for us, premiumisation has yet to reach the mid-strength category.”
The company released a statement online which said: “From the eureka moment which anticipated the trend for moderation to launching the UK’s first “light craft beer”, Jason and Charlie sought to offer beer lovers a smarter way to make healthier drinking a pleasure, not a compromise.
“Despite the rapid rise in moderate drinking, the last five years have been seismic shifts in the UK’s beer and hospitality industries. Consolidation across sales channels, in the on-trade and in retail, has made it incredibly tough for small, challenger brands to reach the customer – we simply couldn’t survive in today’s “pay to play” marketplace.”
It’s never too early to begin planning for next year – especially if your business is being buffeted in the seemingly never-ending economic storms.
Get in touch with us to arrange a free initial chat with one of our advisors.
Once they get a better idea of the circumstances you face along with your plans then they’ll be able to let you know what practical options you have to improve your situation – usually more than you thought.
The sooner you make contact, the sooner you can begin to move forward to the future you want in 2026 and beyond.