Nearly 400 retailers, including big high street chains, could struggle to meet higher interest payments this year, a City financial analyst has warned.
A study by Company Watch of 1,600 retailers with assets of at least £5 million has identified 392 in its “warning area”, suggesting that they are about 25 times more likely to suffer financial distress than their peers.
Among them are New Look, Mothercare, Poundland, Debenhams, AO World, DFS and Conviviality.
The study also found that 430 retail companies in its sample were loss-making, on a pre-tax statutory basis, again including household names such as Hobbs Fashion, Thomas Pink, Mamas & Papas, Missguided, Paperchase and Crew Clothing.
Company Watch compares the financial strength of businesses using a scale of 0 to 100.