ICSM Business News in Brief: Media companies and those involved in printing and allied trades see more insolvencies as well as a firm caught out by being dishonest

By Harry Mottram: As the business world looks to the Chancelor’s autumn budget hoping he doesn’t hike National Insurance contributions like his predecessor there is still an alarming number of insolvencies across all sectors. When paper merchant Ovenden was taken over by Antalis this autumn after they fell into administration the reasons were given asl inflation, hikes in energy costs and ‘a challenging market.’ All true but the common denominator in insolvencies is an inability to service debt.  

The graphics, signage, media and printing and allied trades is one of the most volatile of industries due to way clients can order huge amounts of work in a short space of time and then order nothing for months. Cashflow is often the problem and more in that line have featured in the Gazette’s pages this year. Pop culture and merchandise retailer ZavviGroup Ltd (trading as Zavvi) collapsed into administration and ceased trading on October 12, 2026, resulting in the loss of around 70 jobs. Meanwhile there has been a meeting of creditors last month to decide on the debts left by insolvent firm Area Screen Printers of Breakspear Road South, Uxbridge. Global Counsel: Peter Mandelson’s political lobbying and advisory firm went into administration/bust earlier in 2026 owing £4.6 million. Stratacache UK & PRN Retail Media, The tech and digital in-store advertising providers for high street chains like Currys and Iceland entered liquidation in May while the outdoor and roadside billboard advertising firm 75Media have entered voluntary liquidation. While last month Wiseman Press were shut down by the Insolvency Service for falsifying records – they were linked to six other firms who were wound up in the public interest at the High Court in Manchester on 22 September 2026.

David Usher, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service said: “These seven companies have been successfully shut down, and my thanks go to Companies House for their assistance in providing key evidence for these cases. This should send a clear message that companies cannot use false filings or misleading information to gain credibility and put other businesses at risk.”

Picking up on breaches of the law as former director of BCQ Group in Cranfield has been disqualified for 10 years as a director of a business for the misuse of an invoicing finance facility. Print Week’s Richard Stuart-Turner reported: “The Insolvency Service said that between 27 April 2023 and 30 May 2023, Churchward caused BCQ Group to misuse its Invoice Finance Facility by submitting notifications for non-existent debts, resulting in a loss to the lender of £383,780. From 1 January 2019 until his suspension on 20 July 2023, Stewart Andrew Churchward was a director of BCQ with responsibility for financial matters, including debtor reporting and the operation of the Invoice Finance Facility. An audit conducted by the lender from 17 to 19 July 2023 established that between 27 April 2023 and 30 May 2023, notifications totalling £843,303 were submitted to the lender using Churchward’s unique login credentials, for which no genuine invoices had been issued by BCQ.”

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