The rising number of businesses facing distress and imminent administration may present opportunities for people looking to buy or rescue businesses, but for landlords they are proving to be a costly headache.

Closing retail stores and administrations of high street chains have left UK landlords facing some £393 million in lost rent and increasingly desperate to find new tenants to buy out the leases.

Research published by the Investment Property Databank (IPD) has shown that, out of a total annual income for commercial landlords across the UK of £7.2 billion, the annual loss amounts to some 0.5 per cent.

The landlords have been hardest hit by some of the highest profile administrations, which have left thousands of square feet of prime retail space standing empty across the UK. Some the big names include Oddbins, Focus DIY and Haldanes.

IPD's UK and Ireland client services director, Malcolm Hunt, said the affects of the closures would obviously hit some landlords harder that others, but those facing the worst of it will be scrabbling to fill their spaces.

"Only 16 percent of property funds could lose more than one percent of their income stream as a result of these corporate failures," he pointed out. "The two most important retailers affected are Focus DIY and TJ Hughes with potential total impacts over the lifetime of their leases of up to £231m and £94m respectively."

The production company founded by television hosts, Ant and Dec, could net them as much as £10 million if newly revealed moves to sell it off are successful.

Information emerged today about secret talks to sell Gallowgate Productions – possibly to ITV – which have apparently been going on "for months". The company holds the rights to a number of successful entertainment and game show formats, including Saturday Night Takeaway and Push The Button.

The company also holds the rights to the popular children's TV drama, Byker Grove, on which Ant and Dec first rose to fame. Television industry insiders said that the company will gain the highest value if the popular pair remain involved in its operation.

"The rights to the shows alone are worth a decent whack," one industry member said. "But if you can tie Ant & Dec in, that raises the value and makes it a very tempting sale."

It is thought that ITV is keen to gain tighter control on the Gallowgate shows, which have long been integral to their entertainment programming, particularly in the popular Saturday night schedule.

No one from Gallowgate has yet commented on the news, but a spokesman from ITV said, "Our focus is on improving the creative output of ITV. We have also been clear that we want to develop our international footprint and we will look at opportunities to invest in that area."

The Bournemouth Literary Festival, which has been held annually for the past five years, has been put on the market by its director, Lillian Avon.

The Festival celebrates a variety of creative writing from around the globe and has featured well-known writers including Man Booker prize-winner, Howard Jacobson. The Bournemouth Literary Festival was understood to be the inspiration behind last year’s launch of the UK Business Books Festival.

The sale also includes Debut Books, a small publisher of guides for novice writers, and an accompanying website.

In an enigmatic statement, Avon said: 'the sale might challenge common perceptions of cultural value'.

We suppose it could be an interesting proposition for someone wanting a low-cost entry into the clubby world of literary publishing.

The Electrical Contractors’ Association has warned that business owners who are keen to sell up and enjoy their retirement are finding it increasingly tough to find buyers.

A variety of reasons lie behind the lack of buyers, including continued tight bank lending, public spending cuts and the uncertain financial climate.

The scarcity of willing and able buyers opens up numerous opportunities for those with cash who can move fast. There are currently numerous businesses up for sale at bargain prices and owners – especially those looking to retire – may be willing to do a good deal.

If they are unable to sell up, many owners who are approaching retirement are now being forced to close down their businesses in order to release some money, or alternatively must continue to run the business for far longer than they would have liked.

President of the Electrical Contractors’ Association, Diane Johnson, said, “Some of them are saying they are closing their businesses down. It is not in the hundreds but it’s definitely more than normal. They are closing them down because they can’t find people to buy them, because the people working for them can no longer raise the finance.

“If you go to the bank, they are asking, 'what’s your order book like for next year?’ Some companies don’t have order books beyond the next few weeks,” she added.

Whereas in previous years, family business owners were prone to taking some equity out of the business and handing it over to their staff. However, with the ongoing economic situation, increasing numbers of staff are now unwilling to take on the business as they are concerned they will not be able to realise the necessary cash needed to do so.

Ms Johnson added that confidence has undergone a severe knock due to the sweeping public spending cuts.

For those that are looking to make acquisitions, the lack of other buyers in the marketplace – and oversupply of owners keen to sell up – could provide the perfect opportunity – at a knock-down price.

According to reports, the investment bank Lazard has been appointed to sell one of the few remaining constituents of the former Britax empire.

SELL, the division that makes galleys and kitchen equipment for airlines, has been put up for sale for an estimated £150m. Based in Hamburg, Sell has been established for 50 years and is part of Premier Aircraft Interiors (PAI), which is in turn partly owned by its funders, the Royal Bank of Scotland.

HiT Entertainment, the children’s media group and owner of popular brands including Thomas the Tank Engine, Angelina Ballerina and Bob the Builder, is in serious discussions with its lenders as it struggles to meet its loan commitments, and may be forced to hive off one or more of its assets.

However, the company’s lenders, which include Deutsch Bank, Merrill Lynch and Bank of America, are said to be opposed to a firesale which may result in its top brands being sold at a discounted value. This would leave them with collateral over a less valuable portfolio.

Private equity group Apax bought HiT Entertainment through Sunshine Acquisition Ltd in May 2005 for £489.4 million in a leveraged buyout.

Apax is reportedly looking at a number of other options which include a fresh cash injection of £15 million and an extension of the banking covenants. The firm’s lenders may also be considering swapping some of the debt for equity.

HiT’s problems stem in part to a downturn in toy sales in the United States, together with a general decline in worldwide DVD sales. This has been exacerbated in the UK by the demise of Woolworths, one of its biggest customers.

The international advisory firm Evercore partners were brought in last year to look at possible brand disposals, though nothing eventuated. However, it is thought that Disney may well still be interested in bidding for one or two of the larger brands, such as Thomas the Tank Engine at an earnings multiple of around 7-8.

HiT Entertainment must find some kind of restructuring solution by mid-March, when it will have to report its latest results to lenders.

Private equity group 3i may soon put up a Nordic operator of care homes for sale. Bankers close to the deal have also suggested the operator, Ambea, could be listed on a stock market.

It's believed the firm, which generates stable cash flows, could sell for as much as a billion euros. According to Reuters, the group generated earnings before EBITDA of around 70 million euros last year.

Ambea provides specialist healthcare in nursing homes and care homes for disabled people and operates under the Mehiläinen and Carema brands.

Potential private equity buyers could, however, face a multi-jurisdiction challenge since the company has operations in Sweden, Finland and Norway.

Other privately-owned European firms are thought to have explored both a public listing and a sale – including UK pet-store chain Pets at Home.

News of the possible care home sale follows a similar move last year by 3i, which majority-owns Ambea alongside related funds. 2009's sale was halted as the financial crisis froze activity in the European leveraged buy-out market.

Those close to the deal claim possible bidders currently range from Advent International and BC Partners to Investor AB.

If you have a successful and profitable magazine title to sell, and a genuine reason for selling it, you are likely to have very few problems doing so. Buyers want to see forecastable future cash flows and authentic reasons for selling. In these circumstances, you can achieve a high price for your publication.

Of course in this day and age the internet is a vital channel for your magazine readers. Even if you have not yet fulfilled your plans for an online version of your title, a detailed plan on how you will create this will usually encourage buyers to be interested.

Timing is vital when selling a magazine title. Proving you can make money from the title is crucial as investors are no longer keen to risk precious cash on a risky forecast alone. Make sure you can show potential buyers that there is money to be made from their purchase.

Understanding your buyers can help you to establish the best way to market your title – talk to industry buyers about synergies and speak to financial buyers about profits – basic really!

Having the best possible advisors on board to help you with the sale will really help you to achieve the best price when selling a magazine title. They will be able to give you an objective view of your business, they will know who the likely buyers are, and will be able to spend time on marketing your magazine for sale. This will allow you to concentrate on running the business instead of getting wrapped up in emotive negotiations. Also don’t forget to get good tax advice not least because selling business assets (i.e. a title) is treated differently from selling business shares. For more information on these issues you can subscribe to the report.

For help on determining the value of a magazine title then please fill out the no obligation business valuation form.

It’s rare to see a large business being advertised for sale on its own website, especially with the price-tag advertised. But there it is at www.nufc.co.uk, the newly-relegated toons are for sale, at a price of £100 million. The ad on the website reads, “The board of Newcastle United can today confirm that the club is for sale at the price of £100million.” It goes on to give the contact details of investment bankers Seymour Pierce, who are handling the sale.

Calling anyone with an ego big enough, pockets to match and keen on a rather large flutter. The problem is that there many not be too many of this breed left in the UK. Perhaps the owner, Mike Ashley, should place an ad in Moscow’s popular daily newspaper, Moskovsky Komsomolets.

Fairline Boats, the maker of motor cruisers and yachts up to a value of £2m, has decided not to sell and will instead raise capital from its 3i backers to help it trade through the recession.

3i and Fairline were hoping the business would fetch £100m, and retained bankers Cavendish Corporate Finance in November 2008, however buyers were not forthcoming after having been scared off by the severe curtailing of spending on luxury products.

Candover Investments, the beleaguered private equity finance house, has been forced to write off its £48m investment in Ferretti, the top-end luxury yacht-maker. Analysts comment that Fairline is better off in that it has lest debt than Ferretti, and caters to a broader lower-end yachting fraternity.

Nevertheless, Fairline is acutely aware of the tight conditions and has lowered its sales forecasts by 25% for this year.