Conviviality, the company that owns Bargain Booze, Wine Rack and acts as supplier to Wetherspoons, Slug & Lettuce and many others, entered Administration on 4 April. The company's collapse was sudden and unexpected - as late as 8 March its stock market value was over £550 million, but its share price fell from 301p to 123p in less than 24 hours. This wiped £300 million off the company's value, a drop from which it never recovered.

While overall insolvencies fell in number in 2017 compared with 2016, the last quarter of 2017 showed an increase compared with the previous quarters which had been stable.

In those insolvencies, the vast majority are voluntary liquidations, but there is a trend of retail businesses which are struggling turning to the Company Voluntary Arrangement restructuring option, often accompanied by a managed reduction in operations.

Daniel Maurice Wagner -v- Benjamin Vincent St John White [2016] WL 10574979

Tech entrepreneur Ben White has successfully defended Dan Wagner's application to set aside a Statutory Demand in relation to Mr White's £2m investment in Powa Technologies PLC ("Powa"). Ashfords advised Ben White, with Joe Curl acting as counsel.

The Facts

This case involved an application for security for costs against Mr Nogotkov who is, or claims to be, the Liquidator appointed by a Russian court of Dalnyaya Step LLC ("DSL").

Rules 18.15 to 18.38 of the Insolvency Rules 2016 deals with remuneration principles, fixing of remuneration, challenges by creditors and applications to Court by officeholders in relation to their remuneration placing all the rules surrounding remuneration in one place as opposed to dotted around the various procedures in the old rules.

Principles

Rule 18.16 sets out the general principles as to how administrators, liquidators and trustees can be remunerated and is largely unchanged from the old rules.

The English Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal that a claim could be pursued in the English courts whilst the defendant was also subject to winding-up proceedings under Icelandic insolvency law.

This case concerns a Court of Appeal hearing following the collapse of the large Icelandic bank, Kaupthing Bank HF ("Kaupthing"), in 2008. Kaupthing was subject to a moratorium order made by the Icelandic courts in 2008 and a winding-up order in November 2010.

After much delay, the Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010 (the 2010 Act) came into force on 1 August 2016. The 2010 Act aims to assist parties wishing to claim against insolvent companies and individuals who supply professional services by allowing them to claim directly against their insurers.

Over a third of South West pubs (33%) and restaurants (38.4%) are at heightened risk of insolvency in the next 12 months, according to research by R3, the insolvency trade body.

However, agricultural businesses in the South West have demonstrated increased strength since this time last year with 17% of business at risk, representing a 9.6% decrease in the proportion since February 2015.  

Alan Bennett, Chair of R3 in the South West and Partner at Ashfords LLP, comments:

The Facts

The Court held that it had jurisdiction to order a Latvian bank to disclose information regarding a bankrupt's dealings. The Joint Trustees of the Bankrupt's estate had demonstrated that their request was reasonable and was required to identify further assets that the Bankrupt might hold.

This decision is the latest that has been made in relation to the bankruptcy of Mr Shlosberg, a Russian businessman domiciled in London. Mr Shlosberg was made bankrupt in January 2015 on a judgment debt of US$195 million plus interest.