The number of UK retailers on the brink of collapse soared by a quarter in the final three months of the year, driven by a combination of rising business costs and weak consumer confidence, according to a report. The proportion of retail businesses classed as being in “critical” financial distress jumped 25% to 2,124 in the fourth quarter compared with the third, the insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor said. The general retail sector is under most pressure, with a 29% quarterly increase in businesses in critical financial distress, rising to 1,457 from 1,127 in the third quarter. In the food and
