UK high street business closures 2026: crisp and flooring firms fail

UK high street business closures 2026 now include a crisp maker stocked in Tesco and a flooring firm. Newsquest linked to reports that the crisp company has closed after 54 years as it entered administration, and that the flooring company has closed after 48 years, also in administration, with jobs lost. We have seen only the headlines of those two reports, so we cannot give appointment dates, administrators’ names or job numbers.

They follow two liquidations reported recently. James D Robinson of Finn Associates was appointed liquidator of Swindon Tyres Service Ltd on 5 October 2026. Nick West and Craig Povey of BTG Begbies Traynor (Central) LLP were appointed joint liquidators of Straight and Narrow Drinks on 30 September, according to The Gazette. Newsquest also links to a report of a haulage and warehousing firm entering liquidation after 13 years, which we have not seen in detail.

Official figures put the closures in context

Named closures are vivid, but the government’s monthly statistics measure the whole economy. They show that company insolvencies in England and Wales were 1,845 in June 2026, similar to May (1,849) and 10% lower than the 2,048 recorded in June 2025. On the 12-month rolling measure, one in 198 companies, or 50.5 per 10,000, entered insolvency between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026, down from 52.4 per 10,000 a year earlier.

As a worked example, a rate of 50.5 per 10,000 means roughly 50 insolvencies a year for every 10,000 companies on the register. The same statistics say the rate remains well below the 113.1 per 10,000 seen in the 2008-09 recession, more than twice today’s level. The figures are provisional and cover formal insolvencies only, not solvent closures.

Administrations, the procedure used for the crisp and flooring firms, have been more volatile. There were 191 in June, 45% more than in May, and the government said about 60 connected real estate companies entering administration affected that month’s number. In March and April, around 200 such companies affected the figures, so a single group can move the totals.

About 330 stores are due to close at four retailers

The clearest number in the Newsquest reporting comes from store closures. TG Jones and the British Heart Foundation are each closing around 150 stores, Wynsors World of Shoes is shutting 17, and Leading Labels is set to close its remaining 15 after entering liquidation in May. Added together, that is about 332 shops across four names.

That total is a floor rather than a ceiling. LK Bennett, Claire’s and Quiz have also been forced to close all their remaining stores after administration, but the reports give no store counts for them, so they cannot be added. Whitbread closed all its standalone UK restaurants in September, again without a figure attached.

The smaller failures show pressure at a much smaller scale. Swindon Tyres Service Ltd was incorporated on 23 March 2012 as STL Cars Ltd, according to Companies House. Straight and Narrow Drinks was established in October 2020 and made low-calorie, alcohol-free drinks.

Retail closures and company insolvencies across the sectors

Newsquest describes it as “a tough year for the UK high street”. The table below groups the examples it lists. It is our tally of the reported names, not an official insolvency statistic, and not every entry is an insolvency: some are closure programmes. For the national picture, use the government figures above.

Newsquest adds that it is not all bad news. Joules, Aldi, M&S and Superdrug have announced openings for 2026, and Evans and Bodycare have returned after closing all their stores.

What is behind the closures

The sources do not give a single cause, and we will not supply one. Straight and Narrow’s customers praised its drinks on Trustpilot, yet the company still entered liquidation. Companies House records show its accounts for the year to October 2025 are overdue and that it has been served with a winding-up notice.

Separately, the Business Secretary told the West Midlands Growth Summit on 8 October that the government’s energy Supercharger and the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme would save manufacturers “hundreds of millions of pounds”. He called “our uncompetitive industrial energy prices” the “number one issue in this agenda”. That speech concerned manufacturing rather than the firms above, so it should not be read as a diagnosis of the high street.

What it means for readers

If you are owed money by a firm in liquidation, the Gazette notice names the liquidator, and Companies House shows the filing history. Straight and Narrow’s notice says the company will be struck off and dissolved “not less than 2 months” from 29 September, so no earlier than 29 November 2026 on that wording. Anyone with a claim should contact the liquidator before then.

Your questions answered

Which UK businesses are expected to close in 2026?

According to Newsquest, TG Jones and the British Heart Foundation are closing around 150 stores each, Wynsors World of Shoes is closing 17, and Leading Labels is closing its remaining 15. LK Bennett, Claire’s and Quiz are closing all remaining stores.

Which UK companies have gone bust recently?

Swindon Tyres Service Ltd and Straight and Narrow Drinks entered liquidation, and Newsquest headlines report a crisp maker and a flooring firm in administration. It also lists 16 travel firms and four airlines that ceased trading or entered insolvency this year.

Are company insolvencies rising in 2026?

Not on the official figures to June. The government reported 1,845 insolvencies in England and Wales in June 2026, 10% fewer than in June 2025, and a rolling rate of 50.5 per 10,000 companies, down from 52.4 a year earlier.

Who gets paid first in a liquidation?

The sources do not set out the order. Creditors should ask the appointed liquidator how their claim ranks.