WHO SAYS FOOTBALLERS ARE THICK?

John Carew, the former Aston Villa player has recently been on the wrong end of a bankruptcy order in the High Court following a petition from HM Revenue and Customs.

Last year, Carew reportedly had a tattoo misspelled on his neck. It was meant to say, in French - “My Life, My Rules”. Unfortunately, for Mr Carew there was a misplaced accent and what was actually tattooed was written as “My Life, My Menstruation”!

Tim Corfield

Business Failure Rates Expected to Rise 10% Over the Next 2 Years

Business failures are set to rise by up to 10% over the next 2 years according to a study by BDO LLP recently.

Some 23,600 businesses collapsed in 2011. This is expected to hit over 25,000 in 2012 and nearly 26,000 in 2013 according to a BDO survey.

The pessimistic forecast is based on lower levels of consumer consumption arising from weaker earnings growth and rising unemployment.

Construction and property, business services and retail and wholesale are the three sectors to suffer the most during 2012.

Technology, media and telecoms and manufacturing are ear marketed as the sectors likely to grow.

A spokesman for BDO said, “Businesses that develop innovative products, distribution channels and a strong customer proposition will gain significant competitive advantage – irrespective of sector. Those who do not respond to the new normal are at a greater risk of falling into difficulty”.

The report also predicts that after 2013 failure rates will start to decline.

Tim Corfield May 2012