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Hotdog firm acquired out of administration

Following its administration late last year, hotdog manufacturer Westler Foods has been acquired by a new company.

The Malton, Yorkshire-based business - which produced food products in canned and pouched form for brands including Chesswood, BigMex, Westlers and Multi Menu - originally fell into administration due to a funding gap linked to its pension scheme.

Howard Smith and Mark Firmin of KPMG's restructuring p... Continue Reading


Pub sale restrictions to be reviewed

A legal loophole that allows breweries to prevent the re-opening of pubs they have sold off is to be reviewed by the government.

Communities and Local Government Minister, Bob Neill, announced the review into the 'restrictive covenants' after groups of supporters of local pubs claimed that large breweries were using them to limit competition.

He said that changes to the restrictive covenants would allow local ... Continue Reading


Carlisle hotel up for sale

One of Carlisle's best-known hotels has come onto the market after a gym and leisure facility based there was closed down last year.

The Cumbria Park Hotel, located on Scotland Road in Stanwix, is one of the Best Western chain of hotels. Described as 'a well presented city centre hotel', The three-star Cumbria Park Hotel comprises 53 bedrooms, restaurant and lounge bar, event and function rooms and landscaped gardens a... Continue Reading


M&A activity predicted to grow this year, says KPMG

The number of mergers and acquisitions looks set to rise over the coming months as businesses aim to restart their growth plans in 2011, according to a corporate finance expert.

Head of corporate finance at KPMG's Leeds office, Christian Mayo, said that deals of 'a strategic nature, to facilitate growth,' would dominate in 2011, with volumes increasing even further towards 2012.

"I expect 2011 to be the ye... Continue Reading


SMEs planning to grow businesses next year as confidence rises

Confidence among small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners appears to be growing, following research which revealed that a quarter plan to hire more staff in 2011.

Orange surveyed more than 2,000 SME owners and discovered that 26 per cent of them had plans in place to hire more employees than they had done this year.

Alongside plans to grow their businesses with staff acquisitions, many owners reported that they f... Continue Reading


Public sector procurement open to SMEs

The Government has announced that it is opening up public sector procurement contracts to small and medium-sized enterprises and a survey has found that over 50 per cent of SMEs intend to bid for such contracts.

The survey was carried out by online business marketplace PeoplePerHour.com and found that
SMEs voiced some concern that bigger players will win the most lucrative contracts.

SMEs are sometimes seen to hav... Continue Reading


Changes could allow SMEs to bid for more public sector work

Small and medium-sized businesses will be able to bid for increasing amounts of public sector work following changes to government procurement rules.

Originally rolled out in 2003, the two-tier procurement code was a disincentive for small businesses to bid for government contracts. This was because the salary and conditions of employees taken on by private firms who then take over public-sector contracts. would be matched to the fo... Continue Reading


Investor considers acquisition of Powerfuel assets

A company financially backed by a US-based private equity firm is considering acquiring the assets of collapsed mining company Powerfuel.

Powerfuel, the UK's most advanced clean coal company and the owner of Hatfield Colliery, fell into administration last week after being unable to plug a large funding gap. The firm needed to raise £635 million to pay for the construction of the country’s first clean coal plant, but was una... Continue Reading


Rise in SMEs for sale expected by FPB

A representative from the Forum of Private Business (FPB) has said the organisation expects to see a rise in the number of businesses put up for sale as times continue to be tough for smaller businesses.

The FPB spokesman, Phil McCabe, said small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were still likely to struggle as the economic recovery has failed to pick up any particular speed and draconian austerity measures have already started t... Continue Reading


Floating bar, restaurant and tourist attraction up for sale

The Dixie Queen, the Thames-berthed mock paddle steamer which doubles as a restaurant, bar and tourist attraction, is up for sale.

The boat, which is a replica of a 19th-century Mississippi paddle steamer, is based at Butler's Wharf Pier in London and offers dining, private events and tourist trips. It is for sale for offers over £2.6 million.

The Dixie Queen has been moored on the Thames for the last ten years, s... Continue Reading


Coventry construction firm blames administration on 'over-ambition'

Coventry-based CJ Haughey Construction, the groundworks contractor, has fallen into administration, citing 'over-ambition' as the reason for its demise.

Founded 11 years ago by Chris Haughey, the firm has blamed the taking on of a £17 million contract at Pembroke Power Station for the administration, calling it a 'bridge too far.'

Haughey said, “Our targets were in hindsight probably too ambitious... Continue Reading


Twenty potential buyers for Edinburgh cinema

There are around 20 potential buyers interested in the Odeon cinema on Clark Street in Edinburgh, according to reports in The Scotsman Newspaper.

The Grade-B listed building has been on sale since 5 January and the sales agency, Montagu Evans, says the interest has mostly been from leisure developers.

The agency stated, "It really is a bit of a mixed bag. I think it's safe to say the interest is not really for offic... Continue Reading


Pub giants selling off freeholds as pub values fall by 40 per cent

Research from Fleurets, the pub property experts, has revealed that the price of pubs across the country has fallen by 40 per cent since the 2007 market peak.

Due to the financial climate, which has affected the entire property market and caused drinkers to stay at home, pub values have been slashed by almost half.

The pub sector is also facing further issues, including the smoking ban and large discounts by supermarke... Continue Reading


Tate & Lyle announces disposal of molasses business

Tate & Lyle has announced the sale of its molasses business, meaning the multinational agribusiness will cut all ties with Liverpool.

The £67 million sale of the business - to W&R Barnett, the Northern-Ireland based grain trader - will go some way towards reducing Tate & Lyle's net debt.

The molasses arm was the final Tate & Lyle operation to have a base in Merseyside, which was where the business first began in 1... Continue Reading


Leeds business park sold for £1.25 million

The Elmfield Business Park near Leeds has been sold in a deal that is said to be in the region of £1.25 million.

The new owners of the Garforth unit are Huddersfield-based Royds Properties, who finalised their purchase of the establishment from previous owners, Valad (Equity Partnerships Osprey), on Thursday.

Valad was represented in the deal by the Leeds office of international property consultancy, Knight Frank. The... Continue Reading