According to the UK Gift Card & Voucher Association, in 2014 the gift card and voucher market was worth £5.4 billion in the UK and $124 billion in the US.
Gift cards can confer numerous benefits on the retailer, including promotion, working capital and additional profit from up-spend, and are popular with consumers as a method of paying for goods and services in advance of receiving them.
Protecting your business from your customer’s insolvency
In the second article in our series on risk and opportunity in the fashion retail sector, Rob Russell and Peter Manley assess one of the most prominent areas of risk for suppliers − the insolvency of a trade customer/ retailer.
UK LEGAL HIGHLIGHTS 2014 AND BEYOND Welcome to our 2014 edition of UK Legal Highlights. This publication is a reminder of some of the most important and significant developments DLA Piper reported in 2014, along with some forthcoming developments to look out for in 2015 and beyond.
In the Q3 2014 edition of Global Insight, we discussed the merits of bankruptcy sales for distressed hospitals in the United States. In many ways, the challenges facing healthcare companies in America have been mirrored in the UK care home sector in recent years. Unlike the US, the majority of health service provision in the UK is via the publicly funded National Health Service. An exception exists however in the provision of residential care to the elderly which has seen large scale private sector involvement.
CONSIDERABLE RISKS FOR PRIVATE INVESTORS
Mr Justice Hildyard has handed down his first instance decision on the second set of schemes of arrangement proposed by the Apcoa group.
Following on from our article on “Understanding and managing the risks of an insolvent acquisition” in the Q2 2014 edition of Global Insight, in this third article in our series of risks and opportunities in the fashion retail sector we assess one of the most prominent areas of risk for suppliers - the insolvency of a trade customer/retailer.
The Commission has published its rating system and an advice note to operators on the requirements to segregate customer funds and disclose to customers the level of protection offered in the event of insolvency.
This ratings category must be included in operator’s terms and conditions by 31 December 2014.
Understanding and managing the risks of an insolvent acquisition
OPPORTUNITY ARISES OUT OF ADVERSITY
The recent global financial crisis has seen consumers tighten their belts and the retail industry as a whole has faced increasing pressure. Profits warnings have peppered the financial pages and fashion retailers, in both the budget and luxury sectors, have been subject to formal insolvency processes.
In our “Insolvency in the fashion retail sector: the risks and opportunities” article in the Q2 edition of Global Insight, we looked at the challenges the fashion retail industry faces today and the opportunities available for both existing players and new market entrants in the context of insolvent business acquisitions. In this article we comment in more detail on these opportunities and consider some of the factors and risks to be aware of when purchasing an insolvent fashion retail business and its assets.
OPPORTUNITY ARISES OUT OF ADVERSITY
The UK Government has released a long awaited consultation document proposing new controls on IT suppliers’ dealings with customers facing insolvency.
To a degree this brings the termination provisions of the UK’s insolvency rescue regimes (administration and company voluntary arrangements) in line with some other jurisdictions, such as the US, which, broadly, do not allow supplier termination for customer insolvency.