Business Turnaround Advice in London

Turnaround support for London businesses

London directors usually reach us after a difficult call from the bank, a letter from HMRC or a supplier putting the account on stop. We work from our London office in Mayfair and partners come to you, anywhere in Greater London.

London's economy is dominated by financial and professional services, with banking, insurance, asset management, law, accountancy and consultancy concentrated in the City of London, Canary Wharf and Westminster. The capital is also the UK's main centre for media, broadcasting and the creative industries, and has a fast-growing technology cluster around Shoreditch and King's Cross. Tourism, retail, life sciences and pharmaceuticals are further significant parts of the economy.

Financial servicesProfessional servicesTechnologyMedia and creative industriesLife sciencesTourism and retail

We work with owner-managed companies right across the area, from City of London, Canary Wharf, Westminster, Shoreditch (Tech City), King's Cross Knowledge Quarter, Royal Docks Enterprise Zone, Park Royal and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford.

The pressures we see most are the same ones that show up in the Gazette data below: HMRC arrears that build up while the business funds losses, a bank or asset-based lender losing patience, and suppliers moving the account to pro-forma. If any of those are happening, read the warning signs a business needs a turnaround, or check your own company's public-record signals with our free company health check.

London company insolvencies: what the data shows

K2 tracks every corporate insolvency notice published in The London Gazette and matches it to the company's Companies House record and last filed accounts. These figures cover companies with a registered office in London on our record since July 2026, excluding solvent members' voluntary liquidations. They count notices, not companies: one insolvency usually produces several notices.

1,014

distress notices for London companies in the last 30 days

3,166

distress notices in the last 90 days

2,110

London companies named in those notices

What these companies looked like before insolvency

Based on 2,110 companies in London with a distress notice on our record (solvent members' voluntary liquidations excluded), using each company's Companies House profile and last filed accounts.

Negative net assets at last filing: 42%; of 1,592 with filed figures; UK 42%
Age of last accounts at first notice: 19 months; median; UK 19 months
Accounts overdue at Companies House: 40%; of 2,094 profiles; UK 40%
Company age at first notice: 8.6 yrs; median · 11% under 3 years; UK 8.6 yrs

Median total assets in the last filed accounts: £161k. Figures are the companies' own filings and often predate the insolvency by a year or more.

Of the London companies that reached the Gazette, 42% had already filed a balance sheet showing negative net assets. The warning signs were on the public record well before the first insolvency notice, and that is the window in which a turnaround is cheapest and most likely to work.

Most affected sectors in London

Latest notices for London companies

All insolvency and liquidation notices for London companies →

How K2 turns around a business in London

There is no template for saving a business, but there is an order of work. For London companies, as everywhere, it starts with cash and ends with a business that makes money at its new size, with K2 invested alongside the directors.

1. Free, confidential assessment

A partner meets you, looks at the numbers and tells you honestly whether the business is viable and what the options are.

2. Take control of cash

A rolling 13-week cash flow forecast, managed daily if needed, so every decision is made with the real position in view.

3. Deal with creditors

Negotiate with HMRC, the bank, landlords and suppliers, informally where possible and through a formal process where it protects the business.

4. Fix what is losing money

Cut the products, contracts, sites or costs that destroy cash, and reset pricing and margin.

5. Invest and rebuild

Where we see a future we invest our time and expertise for a minority stake or success fee, and stay through recovery and growth.

The full method, stage by stage, is on our business turnaround page. If the business needs money to get through, see business loans and turnaround finance in London.

Choosing a turnaround adviser in London

Almost every professional firm in London says it does turnaround. They are not doing the same job, and who they work for matters:

Big Four and global advisory firms

Usually engaged by lenders or private equity owners on larger companies, often to review the business on the lender's behalf. Fee-based, report-led.

Insolvency practitioners

Licensed to run administrations, liquidations and CVAs. Essential when a formal process is needed, but once appointed they act for the creditors.

Your accountant or solicitor

Know the business and the law, but most rarely run a turnaround day to day, or negotiate with HMRC and the bank as a principal.

K2 Business Partners

Pure turnaround since 1990. We work for the directors and shareholders, get hands-on with the cash, and invest our own time and money for a stake in the recovery.

We have profiled the main UK firms, with what each one does and how to contact them, in UK turnaround and restructuring firms compared.

Formal rescue options and the court for London

Most turnarounds are done informally, by agreement with creditors. When a creditor will not wait, or the debt cannot be paid in full, the law offers tools that protect a viable business while it restructures: a company voluntary arrangement, administration (including a pre-pack) and, for larger companies with several classes of creditor, a restructuring plan. Used early, each one can save the business rather than end it.

Business and Property Courts of England & Wales, Rolls Building (Insolvency and Companies List, Chancery Division)

7 Rolls Buildings, Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1NL

London companies fall within the London insolvency district, where corporate insolvency (winding-up petitions, administration applications) is heard by the High Court in the Insolvency and Companies List at the Rolls Building regardless of share capital, while personal insolvency goes to the County Court at Central London.

If a creditor has served a statutory demand or a winding-up petition, the clock is already running. Call us the same day: the earlier we are involved, the more of the business can be saved.

Talk to us about your London business

Our London office

23 Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London W1J 6HE

020 7720 8000

Head office: 020 7720 8000

All five K2 offices →

Partners based there

Tony Groom CTP Schehrezade Davidson MBA Tim Meadows-Smith Anton de Leeuw CTP

Book a free, confidential call

Other local support in London

Free and membership support for London businesses, useful alongside turnaround advice for funding schemes, training and local contacts:

Turnaround in London: frequently asked questions

Do you have an office in London?

Yes. Our London office at 23 Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London W1J 6HE is in the centre of London. Partners also meet clients at their own premises.

How much does turnaround advice cost for a business in London?

The first meeting is free and confidential. If we agree to work together, the next step is an Options Review, a paid piece of work that sets out the realistic routes for the business and becomes the basis for negotiating with lenders, HMRC and creditors. Where we invest, we do so for a minority equity stake or a success fee, so our return depends on the business recovering. See what a business turnaround costs.

Is K2 an insolvency practitioner?

No. Insolvency practitioners are licensed to act as administrators, liquidators and CVA supervisors, and in those roles they act for the creditors. K2 works for the directors and shareholders to keep the business out of a formal process, or to use one in a way that protects the business. When a formal process is the right tool we bring in an insolvency practitioner and manage the process with you. See turnaround specialist vs insolvency practitioner.

Can you help if a winding-up petition has been issued against my London company?

Yes, but time is short. Once a petition is advertised the bank will usually freeze the account. Petitions against companies in London are typically heard at Business and Property Courts of England & Wales, Rolls Building (Insolvency and Companies List, Chancery Division). The petition can often be paid, settled or adjourned, or a CVA or administration can be put in place to protect the business. Call us the day you receive it. See how to stop a winding-up petition.

What size of business do you work with?

Mostly owner-managed companies with turnover between £3m and £20m, across construction, manufacturing, technology, services, wholesale and retail. We will always talk to a smaller business, and if we are not the right fit we will tell you who is.

Which court hears insolvency cases for London companies?

Business and Property Courts of England & Wales, Rolls Building (Insolvency and Companies List, Chancery Division), 7 Rolls Buildings, Fetter Lane, London EC4A 1NL. London companies fall within the London insolvency district, where corporate insolvency (winding-up petitions, administration applications) is heard by the High Court in the Insolvency and Companies List at the Rolls Building regardless of share capital, while personal insolvency goes to the County Court at Central London.

What other business support is there in London?

Alongside turnaround advice, London businesses can use Grow London Local (formerly the London Growth Hub), delivered by London & Partners and London Chamber of Commerce and Industry for signposting to funding schemes, training and local contacts. They are a good starting point for growth support; for a business under financial pressure, speak to a turnaround specialist first.

Talk to a turnaround specialist about your London business

A no-charge, confidential first conversation with a K2 partner. We will tell you honestly whether the business can be turned around, which route fits, and what to do first.

Get a Free Assessment 020 7720 8000

Confidential · Honest about viability · Working for the directors, not the creditors

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