In the latest Insolvency Digest, creditors of 20 furniture businesses entering liquidation or administration are expected to suffer a combined shortfall of £6.1m.

Jamie Playford, of Leading, was appointed as liquidator of mattress manufacture Slumberdream (UK) Ltd, trading as Slumberdream, on 8 March 2023. The business owed RM & Ss Investments a sum of £144,000, while the HMRC is owed £110,000 as a preferential creditor. Unsecured creditors are owed £281,000, with trade claims totalling £180,000. It is expected that creditors will suffer a shortfall of £482,000.

Rochelle Schofield and Mike Dillon, both of Leonard Curtis, were appointed as joint administrators of handmade upholstered furniture manufacturer Roche Designs Limited on 8 March 2023. Unsecured creditors totalled combined claims valuing £235,000. These included the HMRC, owed £32,000 (alongside a preferential claim of £25,000), Lloyds Bank – owed £65,000, Funding Circle – owed £51,000 and trade claims valuing £78,000. It is expected that creditors will suffer a shortfall of £260,000.

Nicola Baker, of Rushtons Insolvency Limited, was appointed as liquidator of carpets and beds retailer Ardex Carpet & Bed Centre Ltd on 7 March 2023. The business owed preferential creditors over £4,000, which is expected to be repaid from realised assets of £4,200. Unsecured creditors, which include £27,000 owed to Santander Bank, are owed around £43,000 and are expected to suffer a shortfall of the entire amount.

Constantinos Pedhiou and Yiannis Koumettou, both of Begbies Traynor (Central) LLP, were appointed as joint liquidators of Italian furniture importer and retailer, Abitiamo Ltd, trading as By Arredo, on 21 March 2023. The HMRC is owed £97,000 as a preferential creditor, which is expected to be repaid some of the amount from realised assets valuing £7,200. Unsecured creditor claims total £153,000, with the majority of £140,000 being owed to connected company, Progetto Cucine Roma SRL. A creditor shortfall of £243,000 is expected.

Andrew J Cordon and James Everist, both of CFS Restructuring LLP, were appointed as joint liquidators of furniture manufacturer Long Eaton Craft & Design Company Limited, on 17 March 2023. Preferential creditors include employee claims of £29,000 and the HMRC of £301,000. Around £63,000 is expected to be realised from company assets and should satisfy employee claims in full, with the remainder being available to the HMRC. HSBC Bank is also owed £173,000. As for unsecured creditors, combined claims totalled £343,000 with a further £151,000 being owed to employees and £145,000 owed to connected company, Meadowmead Property Ltd. It is anticipated that creditors will suffer a total shortfall of £784,000.

Adam Jordan and Nickolas Rimes, both of Rimes & Co, were appointed as joint liquidators of furniture retailer Bedz 2 Go Ltd on 17 March 2023. The HMRC is owed £4,500 as a preferential creditor, which is expected to be repaid from realised assets valuing £7,800. Unsecured creditor claims total £34,000, with the majority of £30,000 being owed to Lloyds Bank. A creditor shortfall of £31,000 is expected.

Mustafa Abdulali and Neil Dingley, both of Moore Recovery Limited, were appointed as joint liquidators of furniture retailer Yappee Limited on 15 March 2023. The HMRC is owed £500 as a preferential creditor, which is expected to be repaid from realised assets valuing £5,400. Unsecured creditor claims total £132,000, with the majority of £59,000 being owed to a director’s loan. Other claims include £45,000 to NatWest Bank and £23,000 to the trade. A creditor shortfall of £128,000 is expected.

Robert Dymond and Emma Dowd, both of Wilson Field Limited, were appointed as joint liquidators of furniture manufacturer Pure Tree Design Ltd on 13 March 2023. The HMRC is owed £8,000 as a preferential creditor, while unsecured creditors are owed a combined figure of £54,000. These claims include £1,300 owed to a consumer, £22,000 owed to Funding Circle and £18,000 owed to NatWest Bank. It is expected that creditors will suffer a shortfall of £63,700.

Rosalind Hilton, of Adcroft Hilton Limited, was appointed as liquidator of lighting wholesaler Sirius Lighting Limited on 17 March 2023. Secured creditor Bibby Finance are owed £632,000, which are expected to be repaid around £497,000 from realised assets. The HMRC is owed £204,000 as a preferential creditor, while unsecured creditors are owed a combined figure of £869,000. These include £33,000 owed to Santander Bank, the shortfall of £134,000 owed to the secured creditor and £98,000 to Precision Components. It is expected creditors will suffer an overall shortfall of just over £1m.

Neil Money, of CBA Business Solutions, was appointed as liquidator of furniture retailer Arc Retail Ltd on 14 March 2023. The business owed the HMRC £77,000 and employee claims of £8,000 as preferential creditors. Unsecured creditor claims totalled £122,000, which consisted of £63,000 to employees, £7,200 to director’s, £15,000 to the trade and £36,000 to NatWest Bank. It is expected that creditors will suffer a shortfall of £207,000.

Matthew Hoy and Shane Biddlecombe, both of TruSolv Ltd, were appointed as joint liquidators of carpet retailer Floor24 Carpets & Flooring Limited on 28 March 2023. The business owed the HMRC £23,000 and employee claims of £4,600 as preferential creditors, which are expected to be repaid in full from realised assets valuing £53,600. Unsecured creditor claims totalled £183,000, with trade claims valuing a combined sum of £115,000. A further £26,000 is owed to employees and £10,500 to the HMRC, while Santander Bank is owed £31,000. It is expected that creditors will suffer a shortfall of £157,000.

Rosalind Hilton, of Adcroft Hilton Limited, was appointed as liquidator of kitchen furniture manufacturer Kingsbridge Kitchens & Bedrooms Ltd on 20 March 2023. The business owed the HMRC £2,000, which is expected to be repaid from realised assets valuing £2,500. Unsecured creditors are owed a combined figure of £33,000, which includes £27,000 owed to NatWest Bank, £4,000 in trade claims and £2,600 in employee claims. A shortfall of £33,000 is expected.

Lloyd Hinton, of Insolve Plus Ltd, was appointed as liquidator of furniture wholesale business Area International (UK) Limited on 30 March 2023. The business owed unsecured creditors a total of £313,400, with the majority of £237,000 being owed to trade claims. Lloyds Bank is owed £40,000, while the HMRC is owed £34,000. Creditors are expected to suffer a shortfall of the entire amount. 

Debi Harvey, of Harveys Insolvency & Turnaround Limited, was appointed as liquidator of kitchen furniture retailer Lennox Kitchens Ltd on 30 March 2023. Preferential creditor claims included £3,200 to employees and £71,000 to the HMRC. This is expected to be repaid from realised assets valuing £91,000. Unsecured creditors are owed £603,000, with more than half owed in loans, including Funding Circle, owed over £200,000. A creditor shortfall of £586,000 is expected.

Nicholas Simmonds and Chris Newell, both of Quantuma Advisory Limited, were appointed as joint liquidators of furniture retailer Tinarah Ltd, trading as Raft Furniture, on 27 February 2023. Preferential creditor claims included £4,300 to employees and £37,000 to the HMRC. This is expected to be repaid from realised assets valuing £159,000. Unsecured creditor claims totalled £512,000. Overall, creditors are expected to suffer a shortfall of £395,000.

Gemma Roberts and Robert Dymond, both of Wilson Field Limited, were appointed as joint liquidators of kitchen furniture manufacturer Kitchen Updates (South East) Limited on 30 March 2023. The HMRC is owed £29,000 as a preferential creditor, while unsecured creditor claims totalled £87,000, which was made up of a director’s loan. It is expected that creditors will suffer a total shortfall of £116,000.

Louise Freestone and Paul Mallatratt, both of Opus Restructuring LLP, were appointed as joint liquidators of kitchen furniture firm Greenwich Kitchens (London) Limited on 29 March 2023. The business owed unsecured creditors a total of £792,000 alongside £185,000 owed to shareholders. It is anticipated that creditors will suffer a shortfall of £977,000.

Jamie Playford, of Leading, was appointed as liquidator of furniture retailer Limitless Home Ltd on 5 April 2023. The HMRC is owed £98,000 as a preferential creditor, while unsecured creditor claims totalled £99,000. These included £42,000 to Lloyds Bank and £25,000 to Birmingham City Council. Creditors are expected to suffer a shortfall of £195,000.

Philip Booth, of Booth & Co, was appointed as liquidator of furniture manufacturer Motley Makers Ltd on 5 April 2023. The HMRC is owed £6,400 as a preferential creditor, while unsecured creditor claims totalled £23,000. Creditors are expected to suffer a shortfall of £30,000.

Lisa Lappin, of Baker Tilly Mooney Moore, was appointed as liquidator of office furniture wholesaler TS Office Supplies (NI) Ltd on 31 March 2023. The HMRC is owed £39,000 as a preferential creditor, while unsecured creditor claims totalled £73,000. Creditors are expected to suffer a shortfall of £99,000.