Creditors vote on British Home Stores (BHS).

One of the UK’s most famous high street names is facing the crucial vote on Wednesday, the troubled department store will see how it’s £1.3bn debt needs to be tackled with the need for cutting it’s rent bill over its 160 + stores. It also has a worrying £571m penison deficit… A real bad state BHS find itself in despite in recent years a purchase by Sir Phillip Green for £200m in the year 2000 (he later sold the brand for just £1 in 2015).

The current owners, Retail Acquisitions (consortium of financiers, lawyers and accountants) have a huge task to stable the seven year loss making company with over 10,000 workers with ‘cutting rents’ the most likely option going forward.

Landlords will be facing the bill for BHS with many of the stores looking at reduced rates to help see them through this period.

 

Darren Topp, CEO of BHS is reported as saying: “Although a difficult process to go through, this sets in motion the comprehensive updated turnaround plan“.

 

Can BHS really survive with such poor trading figures and a sinking amount of debt surrounding it? Will we see it’s demise as we did with Woolworths who were a firm high street favourite for many years… Have BHS kept up with current trends, will online save them, what have they in store to get them out of this hole?

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Homebuyers face longer buying timelines

The latest research from Lyons Bowe suggests the homebuying process could become even slower in 2026: as the number of conveyancers operating across the UK is thought to have fallen by almost -13% while transaction volumes rise, placing further pressure on completion timelines. Lyons Bowe has analysed data on the number of active conveyancers in…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 1/4/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Winning the AI Era: A Playbook for UK Estate Agencies The AI-Driven Rewiring of UK Estate Agency Thought Leadership by Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR Real estate has historically been conservative, fragmented, and inefficient. A surge of startups, is introducing automation, data-driven decision-making, and better customer experiences. This…
Read More
Breaking News

What renters and landlords need to know ahead of major rental law changes

With just one month to go until the first phase of the Renters’ Rights Act comes into force, the leading professional body, Propertymark, is urging renters and landlords across England to understand how the changes could affect them. From 1 May 2026, the legislation will introduce some of the biggest changes to the private rented…
Read More
Estate Agent Talk

Tackling Empty Properties

A UK Perspective on Best Practice and Recommendations for Reform Propertymark, the UK’s leading professional body for property agents, has today published a comprehensive new position paper highlighting the urgent need for coordinated, practical and properly resourced action to bring long-term empty properties back into use. With over 359,000 homes sitting empty for more than…
Read More
Breaking News

Pet-friendly rentals plunge 39%

New research from Inventory Base reveals that the number of pet-friendly rental homes in England has fallen by -39% since the start of 2026, as landlords appear to be reducing the number of homes openly marketed as allowing pets ahead of the Renters’ Rights Act taking effect from 1st May. The Renters’ Rights Act (RRA)…
Read More
Breaking News

Latest Nationwide house price data showing a 2.2% increase

Industry reaction to Nationwide house price data showing UK annual house price growth picked up to 2.2% in March, from 1.0% in February. Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark, comments: “An uplift in house prices will be welcomed by the market and suggests that buyer demand remains resilient despite ongoing economic headwinds. Improved sentiment, coupled with…
Read More