Liquidation Centre

Trust is one of the most valuable things a business has, but it's also one of the easiest to lose. We asked 2,000 UK adults which brands they trust the least and why, and 1 in 4 people said cost increases were the main reason their confidence in a brand had dropped.

Here are the top 10 brands people said they're trusting less in 2026:

1. McDonald's - 15.50%
2. Tesco - 13.25%
3. Amazon - 11.55%
4. Asda - 10.85%
5. Primark - 10.85%
6. Starbucks - 10.60%
7. Apple - 8.90%
8. Greggs - 8.70%
9. Sainsbury's - 8.55%
10. Ryanair - 7.95%

If your business is struggling with rising costs and slower sales, knowing your options early makes all the difference.

Full research: www.liquidationcentre.co.uk/uk-most-distrusted-brands

We love receiving feedback like this. 🙏 Going through a Members' Voluntary Liquidation can feel overwhelming, and we always want the process to be as straightforward and stress-free as possible, from the initial paperwork right through to the final stage.

So it was lovely reading that Grace, Henry and Maisie were nearly always available immediately, handled queries in a timely and helpful manner and made the whole process feel manageable, that's exactly what we're here for!

We're very proud that this will be our 3rd consecutive year as headline sponsor for The Contracting Awards 2026! Do you know an individual, a team or a project that has shown brilliance in the contracting industry?

Browse the categories and enter the by 8th May here: https://www.contractingawards.co.uk

Worried about how you’d pay for liquidation?

You’re not alone and it’s one of the first things people ask. The cost is often covered by the company itself (through assets or money it’s owed). But if there’s nothing left, there are still options, and it doesn’t automatically mean you’re stuck.

Costs can vary depending on the situation, but what really matters is understanding what applies to your business. Every case is different, and there’s usually more flexibility than people expect.

If you’re unsure, speaking to us early can make the whole thing feel a lot more manageable.

We recently submitted a Freedom of Information request to The Insolvency Service to better understand the scale of financial pressure UK businesses are under right now.

What came back was hard to ignore, and the data we’ve gathered suggests that more than 300,000 jobs could be at risk this year as businesses continue to battle rising costs and ongoing uncertainty.

This also reflects what we’re hearing in conversations every day, how business owners are trying to make the numbers work while costs keep climbing and margins tighten.

Our findings were picked up by This is Money, helping bring wider attention to what’s happening with redundancies:

👉

Redundancy warnings reach highest level since Covid While the results of the FOI request showed that 2025 was the worst year since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 for planned or completed redundancies, the picture is looking worse for 2026.

One of the best ways to understand the liquidation process is to hear it from someone who’s just been through it. This fantastic review breaks down each step, from first contact to receiving funds, showing just how transparent and supported the process can be with our team.

Thank you to this client for such a detailed and constructive review. 👏

Over the past year, there have been more changes to Business Asset Disposal Relief than most contractors were expecting, and another big change is on the way. From April 2026, the BADR tax rate will rise from 14% to 18%.

To put that into real numbers:
If you have £100,000 of qualifying gains, that extra 4% means £4,000 more in tax.

If you're considering closing your limited company before the new rate applies, now’s the time to speak with your accountant and make sure your accounts are up to date. Doing this early helps speed up the process and reduces the risk of delays.

Have any of your local pubs closed over the past couple of years? 🍺

The UK pub sector is still under real financial pressure. In the final quarter of 2025, 181 venues closed, driven by rising energy bills, supplier costs and reduced customer spending.

No one opens a pub expecting to worry about insolvency. But for many, those conversations are now unavoidable.

If you’re running a pub and feeling the pressure, we've put together steps that may help reduce the risk. Check the comments for a 🔗.

Today’s news around Quiz is another sign of how much pressure the UK high street remains under...

As we’ve seen this year with other familiar names announcing closures or cutbacks, tough trading conditions, rising costs and changing shopping habits can quickly expose underlying issues if they aren’t addressed early.

For many retailers, administration can provide much needed breathing space to step back, restructure and protect parts of the business that are still viable and would otherwise be lost.

For others on the high street, this should act as a clear warning. There’s no single quick fix. Keeping a close eye on cashflow, being realistic about future demand and making decisions early can be crucial to stay afloat.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdre12dnxlzo #:~:text=It%20went%20into%20administration%20in,renegotiate%20rent%20with%20its%20landlords.

Clothing chain Quiz enters administration with 109 job losses Some 109 jobs will be cut at the company's headquarters and distribution centre in Scotland.

We've had a lovely review for Faiza this week, it’s always great to hear from business owners we’ve supported through an MVL.

One thing we see time and time again is how much smoother everything runs when final accounts are ready early, it speeds up the background process and helps us move things along quickly for clients.

Big well done to Faiza for the great experience she gave them on this company liquidation.