UK pub firm collapses into liquidation – £500k of debts | UK | News

A UK pub firm in a popular tourist destination has gone into liquidation with debts of over £500,000, according to reports. The Cotswold Pub Partnership Limited, operating as The Fox Inn in Great Barrington, Oxfordshire, went into bankruptcy last year. While the firm behind the riverside inn, which describes itself as an “award-winning gastropub with rooms”, has closed down, the pub remains open.

A spokesman said the Cotswold Pub Partnership was an umbrella company that was wound up on “professional advice” after accumulating debts of £502,587 to six creditors, the Swindon Advertiser reported.

Simon Renshaw, of London-based firm IQ Insolvency, was appointed liquidator on April 9 to manage the accounts, which include a debt of £310,968 to HMRC.

Gemma and Terrance King, directors of the Cotswold Pub Partnership, formed a new firm, Fox at Barrington Limited, in April, according to documents at Companies House.

Mr Renshaw said: “The liquidator’s work to deal with the company’s assets is not expected to provide a financial benefit to creditors.

“This is either because the value of the assets is insufficient to provide a financial benefit after taking into account the relevant realization costs, or because no assets of the company exist. [its] statement of actions that can be carried out for the benefit of creditors.”

In early 2026, rising wage bills and operating expenses caused prices to rise, while company failures also increased.

Latest data from the Insolvency Service showed that the number of companies going bankrupt rose 7% month on month to 2,022 in March.

Administrations also increased by 52% between February and March to 235, 82% higher than in March 2025, while compulsory liquidations also increased by 18%.

Alongside high operating costs, increases in fuel and energy prices linked to the conflict in Iran have further increased pressure on sectors including manufacturing, retail and those with limited financial capacity.