Small Business News Articles For Directors | Forbes Burton

UK Businesses Find Breathing Room from HMRC Debts

Robbie Meechan — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 10:58:11 +0000

HMRC’s latest Freedom of Information Act request has highlighted what many may have already suspected: payment plans for tax debts are crucial for allowing many companies to continue trading. Unfortunately, not all businesses are able to secure such payment plans, and those that do often find themselves lumbered with plans that they find impossible to […]

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Trump’s Latest Tariffs Leaving Scotch Distilleries on the Rocks

Robbie Meechan — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 09:27:51 +0000

The beginning of the year saw several reports lament the financial distress of a number of Scottish whisky distilleries. 69 were said to be in a critical financial state, making up 19% of the entire sector there. This sobering news has only been worsened since after Trump’s announcement that the 10% tariff the UK had […]

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London No Longer UK’s Best Business Growth Region

Robbie Meechan — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 13:33:31 +0000

When it comes to areas with the highest business growth potential, London has traditionally been top dog. According to new research from Growth Flag, however, the English capital has been toppled by an unlikely rival. Perth and Kinross in central Scotland pipped more metropolitan areas for business growth potential, surpassing Southwark as the UK’s best. […]

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The Most Notable UK M&A Deals of 2025

Robbie Meechan — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 11:03:39 +0000

Despite all the talk of the M&A sphere slowing down over the last few years, there were still plenty of big deals that were signed off on in 2025. Forbes Burton founder and Managing Director, Rick Smith, remarked that “there’s still plenty of activity in UK M&As with several big players gaining market share or […]

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Is Your Local Butchers Set for the Chop?

Robbie Meechan — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 13:26:11 +0000

Recent reports from The Daily Mail found that the traditional independent butcher shop is quickly disappearing from the UK high street. A startling 1,305 slaughterhouses and butcheries have closed since 2010, leaving some regions with few, or in some cases no, butcher shops to serve the local area. Which areas have been hit the […]

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UK’s Distressed Businesses List 2025

Robbie Meechan — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 16:30:21 +0000

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 Heraldic 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 […]

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The 2025 Budget: Key Points for SME Owners

Robbie Meechan — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 16:59:19 +0000

Rather than the portent of doom that many were expecting, the chancellor’s 2025 budget went by with relatively little in the way of controversy. This of course will be welcome news for the UK’s small-to-medium-sized businesses, which took a bit of a hit in 2024’s announcement. But while the bruising budget that some feared never […]

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How 2025’s Autumn Budget Could Affect SMEs

Robbie Meechan — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 16:46:48 +0000

It’s fair to say that last year’s autumn budget shook up the UK business world a fair bit. With a gaping hole in the treasury coffers to fill, Chancellor Rachel Reeves focused her attention on ‘those with the broadest shoulders’ when addressing this burden. Unfortunately for UK business owners, she’d decided that it was them […]

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How Snails are Helping Businesses Avoid Paying Their Taxes

Robbie Meechan — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 10:58:55 +0000

In a bizarre turn of events that gives a new meaning to the term ‘shell company’, Westminster City Council officers are cracking down on fake snail farms. The officers discovered multiple tubs of snails in otherwise empty London offices, and are now campaigning for legislation against other bogus farms. But how on Earth are snail […]

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What Went Wrong for Pizza Hut?

Robbie Meechan — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 09:35:50 +0000

Whether it’s the advert with Gareth Southgate in, the cheeky re-naming to ‘Pasta Hut’, or just piling slices on to a tiny plate during their all-you-can-eat buffets, most UK residents will have a fond memory of Pizza Hut. The American-founded chain restaurant quickly became a UK high street staple after opening its first site over […]

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