Charity sector in disarray as hundreds of shops forced to close
Over 120,000 UK jobs lost or at risk
2024 budget changes cited as factor for many closures
Moorcroft and Royal Stafford among casualties of Stoke pottery industry
For the second year in a row, the Forbes Burton Distressed List is occupied by more than 200 big-name companies.
Each has had to cut costs in order to weather the economic headwinds prevalent over the last few years. Some on the list are still reeling from the aftershocks of the pandemic, while many have found the 2024 autumn budget changes difficult to accommodate.
Cram a cost-of-living crisis and the ripple effect of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine between the two, and it’s readily apparent how so many businesses have fallen into trouble.
The hardest-hit sectors of 2025
Some of the industries hit in 2025 are more surprising than others.
Sadly, stalwarts such as retail, hospitality, and construction are still represented heavily, but it’s the emergence of trouble in the charity and ceramics sectors that surprised this year.
The charity sector has faced huge issues in 2025, with hundreds of charity shops having to shutter their doors. It seems for many that the cost of keeping bricks and mortar premises open is now outweighing the revenue brought in by the traditional charity shop model.
Elsewhere, it’s been a catastrophic year for the ceramics sector, with the Stoke and wider Staffordshire area especially affected.
A slew of big-name potteries have hit the wall, while a couple of national tile distributors have curiously found themselves in trouble at the same time.
Impact on UK unemployment
Of course, the ones that bear the brunt of these closures hardest is often the employees.
More than 120,000 jobs will have been affected by the closures, cutbacks and restructuring of the companies below. Considering this list only compiles notable big-names and recognisable brands, that’s a substantial dent in the UK workforce.
Bodycare, Boohoo, and Poundland all lost (or plan to lose) four digit’s worth of staff members.
Minimum wage changes to blame?
Business closure expert and Senior Consultant at Forbes Burton, Ben Westoby lamented the losses in the charity sector but said that it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.
“As you might expect, charity shops aren’t shifting thousands of products a day, and the items they do sell are sold for low prices” said Westoby. “While they’re subsidised by various tax reliefs on Corporation Tax, VAT, and business rates though, recent changes to minimum wage will cut deeply into already wafer-thin margins.”
“Difficult for such firms to survive”
On the crash in the Staffordshire pottery industry, Westoby suspected that this was a byproduct of shifting consumer tastes and high running costs. “Gone are the days in which a Moorcroft vase would be given as a wedding gift, with home décor in general being dominated by more disposable, low-cost items from the likes of IKEA or Chinese firms” he explained.
He added that “running industrial-level kilns and maintaining large premises only make it more difficult for such firms to survive.”
A note on the list
Our distress list documents over 200 big companies and brands that have either dissolved, gone into liquidation, or introduced cost-cutting measures over the year. Some of the businesses listed may not be struggling as a whole, but have identified areas of their operations that are.
Distressed business list 2025
Retail
A typically tumultuous year for retail as the death of the high street carried on in its slow, incessant march.
Some listed, such as Boots and Clarks, are dealing with issues spilling over from previous years, and have featured on prior lists too.
Amazon Fresh
Amazon’s till-free grocery shops failed to capture the public’s attention and all 19 were closed. Some will be rebranded as Whole Foods stores.
What Went Wrong for Amazon Fresh?
B&M
With multiple new stores in the pipeline, B&M had a good 2025 but still had to close a couple of stores in Wilsden Junction and Musselburgh.
Beales
At the time of closure, Beales was one of the UK’s oldest department stores. After opening its doors in 1881, it sadly closed its last shop in May.
An administration in 2020 saw Beales shutter 22 of its 23 stores, but it was 2024’s autumn budget that was blamed by CEO, Tony Brown for the remaining shop’s closure.
Beaverbrooks
Branches in Dundee and Birmingham were among the seven sites closed by the jewellers in 2025. A senior management performance review had found each of the seven stores affected “no longer commercially viable”.
Bodycare
All of Bodycare’s 147 stores were closed this year, making around 1,500 staff redundant.
What went wrong for Bodycare?
Boohoo
The fashion retailer’s distribution centre in Burnley has been earmarked for closure in 2026, costing 1,250 workers their jobs.
Booths
The ‘Waitrose of the north’ as it’s affectionally dubbed had to shutter its Ripon store, but still retains 27 others across the north of England.
Tesco has bought the rights to the vacant site.
Boots
The pharmacy chain has had a tumultuous couple of years with hundreds of branches closing over 2023-24, and while the closures stopped in 2025, the year was no less uncertain for them.
Rumours of the business being sold have lingered throughout the last 12 months. Even after Boots’ parent company was taken over instead (US-based Sycamore Partners bought Walgreens Boots Alliance), talk of a Boots sale remain.
Claire’s
A terrible year for the accessories shop saw the UK arm enter administration as its American parent company filed for bankruptcy.
Modella Capital swooped in acquire 156 stores, but that still left 131 UK and 14 Irish branches that weren’t so lucky.
Over 1000 jobs are likely to be lost by the end of the year, with increased competition from budget Chinese sellers such as Shein and Temu cited as one of the reasons.
Clarks
After closing around a dozen stores in 2024, Clarks continued to cut costs in 2025 by letting go of 1,200 workers.
Connswater Shopping Centre
The Belfast-based shopping centre was closed in March with only 20 of its 52 units occupied at the time.
Co-op
A mixed year for Co-op saw five new stores offset by the closure of 19 others.
The affected stores were either taken over by a mixture of B&M and Samy Ltd, the chain behind Budgens and Spar.
CTD Tiles
56 stores were closed and 268 jobs were lost as CTD fell into administration. Topps Tiles have since bought the company out, saving 30 stores.
Dobbies
Eight branches closed in 2025 as the UK’s largest garden centre chain continued its restructuring. More than 150 workers were let go of by the 150-year-old business.
eBuyer
Unpaid rent led eBuyer’s landlord to issue a winding-up petition.
The administration that followed allowed Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group to acquire the electronics retailer, saving 48 jobs.
End Clothing
The year started with clothing retailer, End, announcing that it had suffered a £43 million loss.
200 redundancies followed, but it was the private equity juggernaut, Apollo’s takeover in August that eventually narrowed its losses.
The Entertainer
Five stores were closed in 2025, with another two scheduled for the axe in January 2026.
CEO, Andrew Murphy, suggested that 2024’s Budget announcement had played a significant part in this, as well as halting plans to open two new sites.
Euroboozer
The online drinks business called in administrators in August after cash flow issues threatened the company.
FatFace
Despite a strong year, FatFace closed its Gloucester Quays store in February. Ten jobs were lost as part of the closure.
Fired Earth
Luxury home interior and tile specialists, Fired Earth, closed all 20 of its UK showrooms after falling into administration.
133 staff were affected, though the brand may still live on after a December buy out from Topps Tiles.
GAME
Owner Mike Ashley has been consolidating some GAME stores into nearby Sports Direct branches. The rest have been closed apart from five standalone shops that still remain.
They too will eventually be absorbed into Sports Direct stores. When Frasers Group purchased GAME in 2019, the company had 540 stores spread across the UK and Spain.
Hamleys
The iconic toy shop closed 29 of its stores in 2025, with at least 24 members of staff axed at the same time.
Harvey Nichols
A focus on ‘full-category stores’ led to Harvey Nichols’ Beauty Bazaar in Liverpool One to be closed in April.
The store had been a part of the centre for 13 years.
Hobbycraft
CEO, Alex Wilson, lamented the “necessary action” of closing 18 stores in order to keep the brand alive, with several more closures expected. Around 250 jobs are thought to have been lost.
What went wrong for Hobbycraft?
Homebase
65 Homebase outlets were shuttered in 2025 after the home improvement giant went into administration late in 2024.
House of Fraser
Like its sister business, Sports Direct, House of Fraser has been steadily reducing the number of stores in its portfolio.
A handful of branches closed in 2025, with Lincoln and Darlington being notable locations.
Iceland
The frozen food titan announced that they would be cutting 3,000 jobs as part of a restructuring. A handful of stores have already closed, with plans to shut their cafes. patisseries and pizza counters also underway
IKEA
Three IKEA sites in Aintree, Stockport, and Liverpool were shuttered in 2025.
In the Style
After being acquired as part of a fire sale in 2023, In the Style found itself in trouble again. Reportedly on the brink of insolvency and facing administration again, it was eventually bought out by a different owner, Alps Sourcing Ltd, in February.
Joe Delucci’s Gelato
As a major UK gelato wholesaler, Joe Delucci’s liquidation had repercussions throughout many companies’ supply chains.
2023’s wet summer along with expensive relocation costs were cited as factors in the closure.
Lidl
The discount retailer enjoyed a fairly successful year, but did have to axe 70 workers from its London head office.
Marks & Spencer
Despite the opening of several new food halls, M&S still had to close the 96-year-old Wolverhampton branch and a handful of in-store cafes as part of their restructuring plans.
Maxideals
Midlands-based discount retailer, Maxideals, went into voluntary liquidation in February. Excessive liabilities and difficult trading conditions saw them close all 24 of their stores.
Millets
With its parent company deciding to push sister brand, Go Outdoors instead, Millets found itself having to close six branches this year. Four of which were simply changed to Go Outdoors stores instead.
Missy Empire
Part of the Frasers Group, youth fashion retailer, Missy Empire, hit administration in June and is still waiting for a buyer.
Monki
Scandinavian youth-focused fashion retailer, Monki, closed all of its seven stores, with a handful being swallowed up by its sister brand, Weekday
Morrisons
As well as the culling of 51 of their in-store cafes, Morrisons also closed 17 of their smaller convenience stores, 13 florists, 35 meat counters, 18 market kitchens, and four pharmacies.
365 jobs were affected.
National Timber Group
561 immediate redundancies were announced alongside an intention to appoint administrators during November.
The group, which includes big brands such as Arnold Laver, is actively looking for a buyer after cashflow problems and contract disputes saw them lean into the red.
New Look
New Look started the year by announcing widespread store closures after deciding that changes to National Insurance contributions would make it difficult to continue. 15 stores have already been closed, and more are expected to follow.
100 head office jobs are set to be axed as part of a business-wide restructuring too.
Next
Next seems to have got through 2025 fairly unscathed in relation to many of its retail peers, but did still need to close their Middlesborough branch.
Nolte Möbel UK
The UK arm of German furniture manufacturers, Nolte Möbel, fell into administration after significant debts pushed them into insolvency.
Oddies Bakery
The 120-year-old family business finally closed its doors after trying and failing to find a buyer.
13 shops were shuttered as part of the liquidation.
The Original Factory Shop
After being bought by Modella, a private equity firm with a reputation for taking on distressed businesses, The Original Factory Shop took out a company voluntary arrangement in an attempt to stave off insolvency.
Unfortunately, 28 loss-making stores were closed as part of the restructuring.
Peckham Cellars
Formed during the pandemic as a means to deliver wines to customers, Peckham Cellars and its sister branch, Little Cellars closed early in 2025.
Declining sales and a self-confessed lack of marketing experience put paid to the business, which had found the increasing number of competitors difficult to keep up with.
Pets at Home
Late in the year, Pets at Home announced that they’d be implementing a £20 million cost-cutting programme after an 84% drop in profits. Its veterinary sister business, Vets for Pets, however, has continued to perform strongly
PMT
PMT (Play Music Today) closed after entering administration in the summer. All 11 stores closed, as well as its warehouses.
96 jobs were affected.
Poundland
Over 1,000 jobs look to have been lost by the swathing cuts at Poundland.
The troubled chain, which was bought out for, you guessed it, £1, has been closing stores at pace amid their restructuring efforts.
New owners, Gordon Brothers, have outlined plans to streamline Poundland’s portfolio of 800 stores to around 625. 80 have already been shuttered over the course of 2025,
What went wrong for Poundland?
Quiz
23 shops and 200 jobs were lost as the fashion retailer went into administration.
It was eventually bought out by Orion, who was able to save the remaining 42 stores.
River Island
Fashion retailer, River Island announced plans in December to close 33 stores after a £64 million pre-tax loss was recorded in 2024.
Sites affected by the closures include locations such as Brighton, Grimsby, and Edinburgh.
Select Fashion
35 stores were culled in 2025, leaving just 48 stores behind.
The closures were part of a company voluntary arrangement conducted the year prior.
Shoe Zone
11 new Shoe Zone shops were opened in 2025, but this was offset by 39 closures over the same period.
Sports Direct
As part of an initiative to reduce their physical footprint, Sports Direct have closed several stores in 2025. At least 14 sites were affected over 2025, including Carlisle, Burnley, and Leicester.
St Giles Shopping Centre
Elgin’s shopping centre was closed down in January after owing £750,000 in non-domestic rates to Moray Council. The closure took tenants such as Subway, Waterstones, Vodafone and The Works by surprise and gave them less than a fortnight’s notice to close up shop.
The centre has since been bought by a new owner, but talks are still underway with how and when it can reopen.
Superdry
Branch closures included sites in Basildon and Bradford.
Tesco
The UK supermarket colossus actually had a pretty solid year but still announced plans in early 2025 to cut 400 roles.
Multiple positions at head office, in-store bakeries, and Tesco Mobile shops were threatened as part of the reshuffle.
Trespass
Two stores were shuttered for the outdoor wear retailer in Middlesborough and Leicester.
Vertu Motors
Vertu closed three dealerships over the course of 2025. A spokesperson for the company blamed the 2024 budget’s decision to raise minimum wage and employers’ National Insurance contributions.
WH Smith
17 WH Smith sites were closed in 2025, though the brand lives on in its more profitable spots in train stations and airports.
The rest of the high street WH Smith stores were sold and rebranded as TG Jones which are offering much of the same lines of stationery and books.
Charity Shops/Branches
Sadly, charities became worthy enough for its own section this year given the number of job cuts and closures in the sector.
While Cancer Research UK and Scope saw charity shops of theirs taken from the high street, charities such as Bloody Good Period had to close their entire business as operating bills continued to rise.
Barnardo’s
2025 saw a handful of Barnardo’s stores close, with branches in Macclesfield and Knutsford among those affected.
Bloody Good Period
Closing in November, the charity fighting menstrual poverty for refugees, asylum seekers and others, found themselves in severe financial trouble.
Cancer Research UK
The charity announced that 88 branches will be closed by May 2026, with another 100 following the year after.
600 staff members are set to be impacted, as well as almost 3,000 volunteers.
Oxfam
Several Oxfam branches were shuttered over 2025 including sites in Ludlow and Montrose.
Samaritans
Chief Executive, Julie Bentley complained that the charity was spending too much of its income on “maintaining bricks and mortar, rather than being used to improve our services”.
As such, half of their 200 branches are said to be at risk of closure as the charity struggles to recruit enough volunteers.
Save the Children UK
Three shops were closed across the Isle of Man as heads announced that 197 jobs would be at risk as part of a restructuring effort.
Scope
Scope slashed their branch portfolio by more than half after closing 77 stores.
Only 61 branches remain after the charity made significant cutbacks.
Rising energy and staff costs meant that while Scope made £24 million from trading activities in 2024, it found that the cost of actually running the stores was £24.7 million.
Restaurants & Bars
Among the huge names such as Pizza Hut, which lost a significant number of branches and staff, lies several celebrity-owned eateries.
Despite the advantage in funding and name recognition that celebrity-owned restaurants enjoy, it still doesn’t guarantee escape from the difficulties faced by the hospitality industry. The sector has been struggling under business rates, rises to National Minimum Wage and other taxes for some years now.
Annies
Coronation Street star, Jennie McAlpine had to shut her Manchester eatery after the business failed to recovery fully from the pandemic.
The actress, famous for her character, Fiz Dobbs, had owned the gastropub since 2012.
Baltic Bakehouse
All three of the Liverpool-based bakeries branches were liquidated in 2025.
24 staff were made redundant.
The Bentley Group
No, not the luxury car company. Northern-Ireland-based restaurant chain, The Bentley Group closed its Link 48 site in Derry after staffing issues made it too tricky to continue.
Bistrot Pierre
French restaurant chain, Bistrot Pierre managed to secure its future via a sale to Cherry Equity Partners through a pre-pack administration. 400 jobs were saved as part of the sale, but eight restaurants still closed, making 158 workers redundant
Brewdog
Ten bars were closed by the Scottish Brewery over 2025. Among those affected were sites in Leeds, Sheffield, Aberdeen and three separate London pubs.
Burnt Truffle
Critically acclaimed restaurant, Burnt Truffle in Heswall on the Wirral closed up after its lease ended.
Owner, the celebrated restaurateur Gary Usher, simply explained that he’d “never been able to make it work here” after decrying how government changes had made life difficult for UK restaurants.
Butcher’s Tap & Grill in Chelsea (Tom Kerridge)
Celebrity chef and owner of several restaurants, Tom Kerridge has been one of the more prominent voices about the financial issues the hospitality sector has been facing.
Despite his other restaurants doing well, Kerridge had previously said that they’re “not immune to the huge pressures the industry is under” adding that “if you lose 20% of your covers in a month, then all of a sudden the margins have gone”.
Costa Coffee
Around 15 Costa coffee branches closed over the course of 2025.
Coca-Cola’s acquisition of the coffee brand six years ago has not gone as planned, as the drinks behemoth bemoaned a 3 per cent decrease in coffee sales related to Costa’s performance.
Rumours suggest that Coca-Cola are now open to the idea of offloading Costa to a third party.
Côte
Once boasting 100 sites, the restaurant chain spent 2025 looking for a buyer for its now 70-strong portfolio, of which, 60 sites were said to be profitable.
A buyer was eventually found in the form of the Karali Group, and the restaurants continue to trade.
Frankie & Benny’s
A continuing reduction in their portfolio meant that Frankie and Benny’s closed a handful of sites in 2025, including branches in Stevenage and Dudley.
Gino D’Acampo Restaurants
After his pasta bar chain was liquidated in 2022, celebrity chef, Gino D’Acampo was left with five restaurants across some of England’s major cities.
Financial issues and allegations of inappropriate behaviour from the TV personality, however, saw these restaurants on the wrong end of a winding-up petition from one of its creditors.
After some workers left after delays in being paid, the chain was eventually bought out for £5 million, saving 400 jobs in the process.
Greggs
An interesting year for Greggs saw them close 56 sites only to open more than 90 new stores.
While a spokesperson lamented the “challenging market footfall, more weather disruption than in 2024, and the phasing of cost headwinds”, the firm still plans to expand their portfolio to “significantly more than 3,000 sites” across the UK.
Of the 56 sites closed, 27 were said to be “relocations”. Assuming the staff in those 27 were retained though, that still leaves an estimated 150 jobs lost.
Gusto
After owing £11.9 million
to creditors, Gusto was eventually bought out of administration as part of a rescue deal.
Unfortunately, this also meant that almost half of their restaurants were closed as part of the restructuring, with the six closed leaving just seven behind. Around 190 jobs were lost as a result.
Harvester
The restaurant chain suffered a couple of closures after parent company, Mitchell & Butler, decided to focus on growth concepts such as Miller & Carter
Middletons Steakhouse & Grill
When restaurant chain, Middletons, lurched into administration earlier in the year, it seemed as if rising labour costs had put paid to the popular eatery.
The brand was saved, however, along with 160 jobs, when a consortium made up of existing shareholders decided to swoop in to acquire the business out of administration.
Neat
Backing from Lewis Hamilton wasn’t enough to save the UK arm of Neat (formerly Neat Burger).
The vegan burger chain shuttered its four UK restaurants as well as other branches in New York and Dubai, leaving just two remaining in Milan. 150 jobs were affected.
Oakman Inns
Administration led to the closure of six pubs and the loss of 159 jobs.
The remainder of their estate (14 pubs) were sold to Upham Inns, extending Upham’s reach into the midlands.
Officina 00
All three of the Italian restaurant’s sites closed in June. Founder, Ella Sebregondi hinted at future ventures without revealing any concrete plans.
OSMA
Masterchef contestant, Dani Heron, saw her Scandi-inspired eatery in Prestwich.
Despite the February closure, the chef plans to relaunch an OSMA-style restaurant elsewhere in the future.
Papa John’s
The Pizza giant announced plans to close 74 of its sites in 2025.
It had posted a pre-tax loss of £21.8 for its last financial year, which itself was following 2023’s loss of £19.2 million.
Ping Pong
Dim Sum chain, Ping Pong, closed all of its UK restaurants in the summer after 20 years of trading.
Pizza Hut
68 restaurants, 11 delivery outlets and 1,210 jobs were lost after DC London Pie, owners of Pizza Hut’s UK arm collapsed.
Pizza Hut’s global owner eventually stepped in to save the remaining 64 branches.
What Went Wrong for Pizza Hut?
Pret a Manger
There were only a couple of branch closures for Pret a Manger in 2025. Instead, their main headache came from Castle Water, who filed a winding-up petition against the chain for unpaid bills.
Details are thin on the ground, but it’s rumoured that the bill was for an amount as low as £1,500.
Sainsbury’s Cafes
A staggering 3,000 jobs were lost as Sainsbury’s ditched their in-store cafes, pizza counters patisseries, and hot food counters.
Simmons
Cocktail bar chain, Simmons entered administration and permanently shuttered four of its sites before being sold in a pre-pack administration that allowed the rest of the bars to continue trading.
Starbucks
Ten Starbucks branches were shut down in the UK as part of a larger $1 billion restructuring plan.
Stein’s (Rick Stein)
Padstow in Cornwall has occasionally been dubbed ‘Padstein’ owing to the sheer number of businesses owned by celebrity chef, Rick Stein there.
Of the 13 companies he’s opened there, Stein’s coffee shop unfortunately had to close. At the same time, his restaurant in Marlborough, Wiltshire was also permanently shuttered.
TGI Fridays
The popular restaurant chain has lurched from uncertainty to uncertainty in recent times.
After being bought out by investment firms, Calveston UK and Breal Capital at the end of 2024, the UK franchise was then sold to Sugarloaf TGIF Management in October 2025.
Fast forward just a few weeks and November saw the UK arm put up for sale again. Rumours of struggles continue to swirl around the chain and it’ll be interesting to see what 2026 holds in store for them.
Wetherspoons
Wetherspoons continues to adjust its portfolio to shutter smaller branches while focusing on larger sites.
While several new branches were opened, around ten others were either sold or closed down. These include pubs in locations such as Coventry and Poole
Breweries and Distilleries
After a disastrous 2024 in which a slew of breweries were lost, 2025 was slightly kinder.
That doesn’t mean that there were no casualties, however. Banks Brewery in Wolverhampton was a particularly big loss, but it seems as if it may be the turn of gin distilleries to start closing in numbers.
Like we saw with craft breweries, an initial boom of interest in gin saw a glut of distilleries open. The question then is whether the market is big enough to sustain them all.
Banks’s Brewery
After 150 years of brewing, Banks Brewery in Wolverhampton was closed down, costing 97 jobs.
By the Horns
Bad debtors, rising rent, and an unstable economy were all cited as reasons behind the liquidation of the Surrey-based brewery.
The beer maker had previously had drinks stocked in Sainsbury’s and ran a bar inside AFC Wimbledon’s stadium.
Carnival Brewing Company
The award-winning Liverpool bar and brewery called last orders in January after struggling to find a buyer.
Chase Distillery
Drinks titan, Diageo decided to close the Herefordshire distillery after moving all of its vodka and gin production to their Fife facility.
Didsbury Gin
Dragons’ Den favourites, Alderman’s Drinks, went into liquidation in January after owing almost £200,000 to creditors.
The award-winning distillery behind Didsbury Gin had previously secured £75,000 investment from investor, Jenny Campbell on the hit BBC show.
Edradour
Historic distillery, Edradour has been operating for over 100 years, but had to close its distillery tours, shop and tasting bar as a staff shortage derailed their 2025.
Exmoor Ales
The 46-year-old brewery has been forced to shut down its Somerset facility after struggling to recover from the pandemic. Three staff members have been let go of as the company moves its production over to Hogs Back Brewery in Surrey
The Garden Shed Drinks Company
Starting out in a garden shed, this Scottish gin distillery founded by ex-Scottish rugby union internationals Ryan Grant and Ruaridh Jackson closed in March.
Over its seven years of operating, the distillery’s gins won several awards and was stocked by several Michelin-starred restaurants.
Glenglassaugh Distillery
Production at the distillery was paused for most of 2025 as parent company, Brown-Forman moved the Glenglassaugh brand to ‘silent season’ production.
This is a practice that means that the distillery will only open intermittently as a response to dwindling demand. Staff involved will be shared with fellow Scotch brand, Benriach.
Gypsy Hill Brewery
Forced to move by the rent increases implemented by their landlord, Gypsy Hill have also pared back operations after another rent hike saw their rates 430% higher than they started with 12 years ago.
Liberation Brewery Co
Jersey’s sole major brewery was relocated to Somerset after its parent company explained that costs had “dramatically risen over the last few years” making it unviable to carry on production at its St Savior facility.
Nelson’s Distillery
The sudden death of founder, Neil Harrison, caused organisational issues such as cancelled events and orders. Administrators were called in soon afterwards, but weren’t able to find a buyer for the Uttoxeter distillery, which closed its doors in late July.
Speyside Distillery
Makers of Spey Whisky, Speyside Distillery finally closed their doors after ceasing production in late 2024.
The site, in Kingussie, has been bought by Glasgow Whisky and is set to be rebuilt.
Spirit of Manchester Distillery
A “perfect storm” of increased operating costs and taxes paired with decreased customer spending power put paid to the Manchester gin maker as well as their bar, Three Little Words.
Co-founder Seb Heeley promised that they’ll “continue making liquid somewhere in Manchester”.
Manufacturing
The headline here is the amount of Stoke-based potteries that have found themselves distressed or closed altogether. Huge names such as Moorcraft, Portmeirion and Royal Stafford, all either hit difficulties or closed altogether, creating a huge hole in the UK ceramics sector.
Elsewhere, the closures of Jörd, KitKat V, and Mighty Drinks suggests that the plant-based foodstuff bubble may have burst somewhat.
Armitage Shanks
Plans to close a tunnel kiln at the historic toilet makers affected 100 jobs.
Ashley Manor/Alexander & James
The Dudley-based furniture makers entered administration alongside its sister import business.
100 jobs were affected.
British Steel
3,500 jobs were put at risk as British Steel looked to close two of its blast furnaces. The site was losing £700,000 a day and hurtling toward trouble.
Emergency legislation was passed in April to allow the government to support the site until a buyer can be found. With £274 million already sank into the business to keep it running though, how long will the government continue to fund the steelmaker?
Bulkrite
The truck builder collapsed in June, leaving behind its sizeable premises, which went up for sale for £1.5 million.
CCM Motorcycles
After 54 years of trading, the specialist motorbike manufacturer had to close its doors this year
Cereal Partners UK and Ireland
The manufacturers behind breakfast favourites such as Cheerios, left a hole in the Merseyside job market when it closed its Bromborough site. 314 jobs were lost as production moved to their Staverton facility instead.
Compleat Food Group
While Compleat have been on somewhat of an acquisition spree (concluding deals for SK Foods, Zorba Foods, Freshpak and The Real Yorkshire pudding Co) this year, they’ve also had to lay off a number of workers.
60 staff at Tottle Bakery in Nottingham and 60 again at Wrights Food Group in Crewe lost their jobs.
Dyson
Plans to move into a £100 million research and development hub in Bristol were abandoned by Dyson in January.
The 180 workers affected were expected to relocate to its existing Malmesbury campus instead.
Earle Group
Tile-making business, Earle Group, closed down four of its companies as part of an administration.
59 workers lost their jobs across Ceramique Internationale Ltd in Leeds, Rowmari Ltd in Bedford, and both Spectrum Tiles and Euxton Tile Supplies in Euxton.
Faace
Founded in 2019, Faace tried to find a buyer in the summer, but was forced to close after a deal to buy the firm collapsed.
Fablink
Metalwork firm, Fablink, collapsed just mere months after being saved in a pre-pack administration deal.
Unfortunately for them, Fablink lost several key contracts and clients since their rescue and is now closed for good with over 400 workers made redundant in the process.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
GSK’s Ulverston plant had been part of the fabric of the town for 75 years. Unfortunately, it closed for good after GSK sold the business the Ulverston plant was producing for in 2021.
Since then, it has gradually wound down operations. From a peak of 2,000 workers at one time, there remained only 100 at the time of closure.
As part of the closure, GSK put forward a £2 million donation to support community projects in the Ulverston area, as well as retraining opportunities for employees. BAE Systems have since acquired the site.
Grangemouth Refinery (Petroineos)
400 jobs were lost as Scotland’s only crude oil refinery stopped processing after 100 years in operation.
High operating costs and a planned shift to greener energies were the catalysts behind the closure. The site is now used as a fuel import and distribution hub.
Heraldic Pottery
The Stoke-based ceramics firm went into liquidation after accruing more than £850,000 worth of debt.
Luckily, no jobs were lost as workers were transferred over to sister company, Duchess China, which Heraldic had acquired in 2019.
Hydro Industries
Rather than having to close facilities or lay off staff, the water manufacturer was taken to court by Welsh ex-rugby player, Leigh Davies.
Davies accused owner David Pickering (himself the ex-Welsh Rugby Union chairman) of cheating him out of over £125,000. The claim was later settled out of court.
Hydro had previously raised eyebrows after landing millions of pounds of government funding after donating considerable sums to the Conservative party when they were in power.
International Paper
In May, the US-based packaging company announced plans to close five sites across the UK. 300 jobs were affected as the owners lamented “tough trading conditions for the industry”. For its remaining sites, International Paper decided to cut operations from seven days a week to five.
Jaguar Land Rover
2025 was a year to forget for the car manufacturer. 500 management jobs were culled as they faced pressure from US tariffs, then they fell victim to the biggest cyberattack in British history, causing them an estimated £1.9 billion loss as they halted production.
JNCK Bakery
Healthy cookie start-up, JNCK, announced its closure just a year after they secured placement in Tesco as part of the supermarket’s accelerator programme
Jörd
The plant-based milk alternative was pulled from shelves by parent brand, Arla Foods earlier this year.
KitKat V
Rather than a five-finger pack, KitKat V was actually a vegan version of the popular chocolate bar.
Launching in 2021, KitKat V has found itself on the wrong end of a gradual waning of demand for vegan products after an initial surge a few years back. The chocolate was pulled worldwide in January, apart from stock in the UK and Ireland which remained until the summer.
Lindsey Oil Refinery (Prax)
“Material irregularities” relating to a £783 million loan were partly behind Prax having to go into administration in the summer of 2025. Debts of £70 million to HMRC and £10 million to Shell didn’t do anything to help either.
Production ended in August with 125 jobs lost. Talks continue deep into December about the possibility of a third party acquiring the site.
Lindsey Oil Refinery Files for Insolvency
Liquid Death
As a disruptor-style brand, Liquid Death came to the UK after success in the States. Its imported-lager-style packaging and unorthodox branding failed to jibe with a British audience, and the business pulled out of the UK as quickly as it arrived.
After bringing some heavily discounted cans into the office, I can attest that the branding took many aback to the point where concerned colleagues assumed I was having a ‘liquid lunch’.
Lotus
After previously denying reports that they planned to cull hundreds of jobs at their Norfolk factory, the luxury car manufacturer announced in August that 550 workers will be let go at their UK headquarters.
Mighty Drinks
Plant-based milk company, Mighty Drinks enjoyed shelf space in Sainsbury’s, Holland and Barrett and Ocado, but still fell into administration this year.
It was eventually bought out by Mighty Kitchen (no relation), a plant-based protein business.
Moorcroft Pottery
One of the UK’s most famous potteries, Moorcroft, closed at the end of April. Soaring energy costs was just one of the reasons behind the closure.
Moorcroft Closure Exposes Larger Problem for UK Ceramic Sector
Nestle
Swiss-based food manufacturer, Nestle announced their intention to implement worldwide job losses in October. This has worried the 7,000 UK Nestle workers at sites such as York, Halifax, and Tutbury. Work union, Unite is currently working with concerned workers in an attempt to help.
Nissan
The Japanese car manufacturer let go of 250 workers from its Sunderland factory as part of a restructuring effort.
Nourisher
Totton-based baby food manufacturer, Nourisher, was ironically liquidated in the summer, costing 100 workers their jobs.
NRS Healthcare
1,500 workers and multiple health authorities across the Uk were affected when this manufacturer of healthcare equipment was liquidated
PepsiCo UK
The US behemoth’s UK arm announced a restructuring that put 560 British jobs at risk.
Petrofac
Once a FTSE-100, Petrofac collapsed into administration as a result of one of their biggest customers cancelling a contract with the firm.
A buyer is still being sought for their North Sea operations.
Portmeirion Pottery
Unlike its peers at Moorcroft, Royal Stafford, and Heraldic, Portmeirion managed to end the year still operating.
Unfortunately, the cost of survival was the loss of several jobs, with 18 workers let go.
Princess Yachts
The boatbuilders already made 260 workers redundant in 2024 and unfortunately had to follow that up with another 40 layoffs in November 2025.
Roberts Bakery
Bread orders didn’t bounce back as expected after a devastating fire destroyed two thirds of Roberts Bakery’s production site in 2023.
After customers found alternative bread suppliers, the business has struggled to rebound, and while its still operating, it did have to cut 250 jobs in order to do so.
Robinson
In an effort to reduce their debts, packaging manufacturers, Robinson sold several of their properties as part of their restructuring plans.
Royal Stafford
Founded in 1845, Royal Stafford was one of the biggest names in UK pottery. It’s closure in February cost 83 workers their jobs.
Saputo
The cheese manufacturer behind brands such as Cathedral City announced plans to close its Harrogate plant, with 80 jobs affected.
Seraphine
The maternity clothing brand loved by A-listers hit a bump this year and eventually fell into administration.
A relaunch followed but wasn’t enough to keep the business afloat. 95 staff were made redundant.
Speciality Steel UK
A judge decreed the UK’s third-largest steelworks as “hopelessly insolvent” as the £600,000 it had in the bank was swamped by its £3.7 million wage bill.
A compulsory liquidation eventually led the government to step in and take control of the site.
Strathmore
Parent company, AG Barr, the drinks maker behind brands like Irn-Bru is doing well, but it did decide to discontinue its struggling water brand, Strathmore in 2025.
Hearing of this decision, Welsh company, Tŷ Nant pounced to acquire the troubled water brand, as well as its production site in Forfar, potentially saving dozens of jobs.
Tata
A move to more sustainable steelmaking led Tata’s Port Talbot plant to close two blast furnaces. The new electric arc furnaces require fewer workers, so unfortunately 2,000 jobs were lost as part of the process.
Urban Legend
Doughnut manufacturer, Urban Legend is still looking for a buyer after falling into administration in September.
The low-fat, low-calorie cake makers previously had their wares stocked in large retailers such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
Vivergo
Closed in August after the government refused them a rescue package, the UK’s largest bioethanol plant let go of 160 workers.
Walkers
As part of parent company, PepsiCo’s restructuring, 250 jobs have been put at risk at factories in Leicester, Coventry, Lincoln, and Skelmersdale.
Woollacott Gears
Wrexham-based precision gears manufacturer, Woollacott Gears was liquidated in 2025 after more than 100 years of trading.
Banks/Finance
Rather than struggling, many of the banks on this list are simply restructuring to reflect a more digital-first consumer base. Nationwide, Virgin Money and HSBC are conspicuous in their absence after upholding promises not to close any branches throughout 2025.
Argentex
UK-listed forex hedging specialists, Argentex was placed into special administration before closing entirely. Those with funds held by the company are urged to contact the administrators via the contact details on the Argentex website.
Bank of Scotland
14 Bank of Scotland sites disappeared over the year as owners, Lloyds Banking Group, made sweeping cuts.
Barclays
Around 20 branches were closed in streamlining plans that begun back
in 2024.
BNY Pershing
Located in the iconic Liver building, BNY Pershing decided to close its Liverpool office and consolidate both into its Manchester site. 250 jobs were affected by the move.
Close Brothers
It’s not a good time to be at Close Brothers. Fitch Ratings downgraded them to BBB with a negative outlook, and the UK motor finance scandal continues to provide them with eight-figure losses.
Halifax
The Lloyds-owned building society lost 61 branches in 2025, including sites in Bolton, Crewe, and Fulham.
Lloyds
61 Lloyds-branded branches closed over the course of 2025.
The wider Lloyds Banking Group owns high street stalwarts, Halifax and Bank of Scotland too. Both of which also saw their fair share of closures with more to follow.
Natwest
The banking giant states that more than 80% of their customers use digital banking methods now.
This has no doubt been one of the prompts behind their sweeping branch closures, of which 105 have occurred in 2025. This brings the total of Natwest sites lost over the last decade to around 1,500 with little sign of slowing.
PwC
One of the ‘big four’ accountancy firms, PwC cut 175 junior auditor jobs and reduced the size of their annual pay rise in 2025.
Santander
Santander took the axe to a fifth of their remaining branches in 2025, closing 95 sites and losing 750 workers.
TSB
A dozen branches were closed as the bank continued widespread closures.
Sports
Football continues to operate in a business world all of its own, with big names such as Everton and Sheffield Wednesday accompanying the smaller teams that normally fall by the wayside.
Salford Red Devils is the notable casualty from the rugby world. This marks an improvement from the significant number of rugby sides that fell in trouble last year.
Edinburgh City FC
Scottish League Two side, Edinburgh City was docked 15 points after they failed to pay players and other creditors in time.
Everton
The Guardian reported that Everton were using the services of “a leading firm of restructuring and insolvency advisers” in April.
Delays in a proposed loan from 777 Partners were thought to be the issue. The American investment firm were poised to take over the club but pulled out of a deal in the summer.
The owners have since sold their women’s team to a sister company to bring in £60 million to help the club’s finances.
Morecambe FC
‘The Shrimps’ were mere days away from collapse when investors, Panjab Warriors stepped in to buy the club. The club is now in a stable financial position.
Oleksandr Zinchenko Image Rights
Arsenal star, Zinchenko fell foul of HMRC and saw his unpaid tax bill force the closure of his company, Alex Zinchenko Image Rights.
Tax liabilities of £893,133 in 2023 and £834,164 in 2024 were eventually resolved in a settlement, with the business ordered to close in March 2025.
Salford Red Devils
Few sporting teams had a worse 2025 than Salford Red Devils.
Bought out in February, hopes should have been high for the new season, but after fielding squads that were short on numbers and filled with novices, the club were on the receiving end of record losses such as the 0-82 to St Helens.
Multiple fines, docked points, unpaid debts and a player exodus eventually led to a winding up order from HMRC. The club was liquidated in December with £4 million worth of debts, and removed from the Rugby Football League.
Sheffield Wednesday
Multiple breaches of EFL rules, unpaid wages and outstanding HMRC bills all contributed to ‘The Owls’ falling into administration.
Cash flow has been secured until 2026 as the club continue to search for a buyer.
Construction
With high overheads and stretched cash flows, the construction industry is unfortunately a mainstay on the distressed list.
Corbyn
The 26-year-old London-based groundworks firm closed after a string of CCJs were made against the company.
Elements Europe
Telford-based modular building company, Elements Europe went into administration after two large projects in Birmingham and London had left them with significant losses.
141 jobs were affected.
LF Solutions
Groundwork, formwork, and civil engineering specialists, LF Solutions, fell into administration after experiencing severe cash flow issues. As of December, the firm is still seeking a buyer.
Troy UK
February saw the tool and maintenance suppliers collapse into administration. The business eventually closed after rapid inflation and borrowing rates had caused consumer demand to wane.
Others
Venues, media companies and everything else in between.
Adarma
Cybersecurity firm, Ardara collapsed into administration after losing a major customer punished their overexposure. 176 staff across their Edinburgh and London offices were made redundant.
Avalanche Studios
The games studio behind titles such as Just Cause and Mad Max closed its Liverpool office in 2025, affecting 31 jobs.
Builder.ai
Administrators were called in to handle the collapse of the UK arm of Builder.ai. The company provided a product that built apps using artificial intelligence.
After raising hundreds of millions of dollars from investors such as Microsoft and a Qatari sovereign wealth fund, it managed to secure ‘unicorn’ status as it was valued at over $1bn.
Several things quickly went wrong for the start up. Chief among them were reports released by the Financial Times that alleged that the company had used false sales figures to attract investors. It was also found that they’d overstated the role that AI played in the process, with the strong results the platform provided being mostly down to human engineers.
Cesscon Decom
Supported by £2 million of public money, this oil and gas decommissioning firm unfortunately weren’t able to deliver on the 100 jobs they promised to the Fife and Aberdeen communities, and instead closed suddenly leaving 20 workers without work.
Cineworld
Administration in late 2024 saw 5 branches closed, and these closures spilled into 2025 too, seeing an additional 6 fall under the axe in January.
Coney Beach Amusement Park
Porthcawl, Wales, was home to Coney Beach Amusement Park, a resort that has entertained holidaymakers since the first world war. Difficult economic conditions unfortunately closed the 100-year-old park, with the local council buying parts of the 20-hectare site.
David Phillips Furniture Group
Furnishing and fit-out specialists, David Phillips fell into administration in July. Formed in 1998, the company ceased its main trading operations and lost 134 employees.
The rental division is still operating as they continue to seek a buyer for the rest of the business.
Great Little Escapes/Our Holidays/Tunisia First
Trading under several different names, the travel company collapsed in the summer leaving hundreds of holidaymakers in disarray.
Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce
The UK’s largest chamber of commerce was acquired out of administration, saving dozens of jobs.
Hestercombe
Taunton’s Hestercombe, an estate and landscaped gardens that operates as a wedding venue and tourist attraction, entered administration after dwindling visitor numbers.
Joey Essex Management Ltd
Reality TV star, Joey Essex’s management company was forced into liquidation after accruing debts of £1.2 million.
Jones Food
Ocado-backed Jones Food was somewhat of a trailblazer in the vertical farming industry but struggled after Ocado decided not to provide any more funding to the company.
The Scunthorpe-based business has since gone into administration.
Paddy Power
A review of their high street estate led Paddy Power to close several branches across the UK and Ireland. 29 were closed on this side of the water, with 128 jobs affected.
Red Production Company
Parent company, StudioCanal shut down the production company responsible for shows such as Happy Valley, It’s a Sin, Queer as Folk and Scott & Bailey. The move made ten workers redundant.
Roger Billcliffe Gallery
Scotland’s biggest private art gallery was closed after 46 years of operating. A decline in footfall around Glasgow city centre was cited.
Roxy Media (Holly Willoughby)
TV presenter, Holly Willoughby saw HMRC petition to close her media company in February after accruing over £350,000 in unpaid tax bills.
Holly Willoughby’s Business in Court for Unpaid Tax
Sky
Restructuring to focus on streaming services led Sky to axe 600 jobs at sites in Leeds, London, and Livingston.
Stunt Acquisitions
Former son-in-law of Bernie Ecclestone, James Stunt saw his business issued with a winding-up petition after debts owed to Westminster City Council remained unpaid.
Barristers acting on behalf of the council told a hearing that they had rejected Rolex watches that were offered as security on the debts.
Thames Water
Thames water spent the majority of 2025 desperately seeking a rescue deal.
£18 billion’s worth of debt is hanging around the company’s neck like an albatross and potential deals with buyers such as KKR have all fallen through.
The UK government look likely to step in to temporarily nationalise the firm.
Tomato Energy
Energy supplier to around 12,000 homes, Tomato Energy went bust in November.
British Gas took on their customers’ accounts.
Ubisoft
The closure of their Leamington site, and the restructuring of their Newcastle-based studio, saw the gaming company lay off around 100 workers.
University of Dundee
A £35 million deficit took the University of Dundee to the brink of insolvency in March, with chaos still unravelling at the year’s end.
Plans to cut 632 full-time equivalent posts have been met with anger, with staff strikes taking place in November. 300 workers have already taken voluntary redundancy.
Vertical Future
Vertical farming company, Vertical Future, looked for a buyer after posting a £10 million loss. Unfortunately for them, no buyer was found and the business has since folded
Waterline Ltd
Once one of the UK’s largest independent distributors of kitchens and bathrooms, Waterline unfortunately closed in October after 78 years of trading.
The Wave, Bristol
The UK’s first inland surfing lake, The Wave, closed suddenly in the summer after financial troubles.
The resultant administration quickly found a new buyer though, and the venue has since relaunched.
Windmill Theatre, Soho
The historic venue, that has operated as a cinema, club, nude table-dancing bar, and even a TV studio over the years, fell into liquidation after a dispute with the landlord.
WSH Logistics
The logistics firm went into administration and let go of 107 employees in October.
Yurtel
Luxury yurt company, Yurtel, left festival goers in disarray after they entered liquidation.
The firm had been selling Glastonbury packages that included hospitality tickets for the festival but left its customers ticketless when it folded.
Considering that the packages were priced between £10,000 and £16,500, customers were understandably upset. Unfortunately for them, Yurtel had yet to actually buy any tickets from the festival organisers, so Glastonbury were unable to help. Instead, those affected had to pursue their credit card companies or hope that the liquidation yielded enough to pay them back.
Is your business looking over its shoulder?
The last few years have been incredibly hard on UK businesses and those that have made it through cost-of-living crises, soaring utility bills, and global pandemics have done amazingly well to still be standing. Recent changes to national insurance contributions and other policies however, could be the final straw for many companies.
If you think your business might struggle to continue in its current form during 2026, though, you need expert advice on how you can navigate the future.
We have specialists on hand that can help you to facilitate turnaround strategies, sell your business, or close down your company depending on the best route available to you. Call us on 0800 060 8505, or email advice@forbesburton.com for a free consultation.
