Gino D'Acampo restaurant group hit with second HMRC winding-up petition in 16 months

A fresh winding-up petition from HM Revenue & Customs threatens to end celebrity chef Gino D'Acampo's high street presence for good, just over a year after his restaurant business was rescued in a £5 million deal.

HMRC filed the petition on July 30 2026 at the High Court against Manchester-based Upmarket Hotels & Leisure, the company behind the five Gino D'Acampo-branded restaurants in Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds and on the Strand in London.

Working in partnership with Meliá Hotels International, Marriott Bonvoy and Hamilton-Pyramid Europe, the group operates a wider collection of seven restaurants and bars, including Liverpool's Sky Bar, and was last reported to generate around £20 million in turnover.

The petition is the second HMRC has brought against the group in a little over a year. Upmarket Hotels & Leisure is registered as a separate company but is controlled by the same directors and registered office as sister firm Upmarket Leisure Ltd, which ran the D'Acampo restaurants until it collapsed into administration in 2025.

HMRC first presented a winding-up petition against Upmarket Leisure in March 2025 over unpaid tax, posted in the Gazette that April, prior to an administrator being appointed on April 29 2025 to head off the petition.

The business was sold to an unnamed buyer in a pre-pack administration deal for £5 million days later, preserving all 400 jobs. D'Acampo himself had stopped being a director of the group back in 2021.

Financial filings lodged by administrators Begbies Traynor after that collapse laid bare the scale of the group's debts. Total liabilities at the time of administration were put at over £11 million, including roughly £4.2 million owed to HMRC and around £3 million owed to unsecured trade creditors, while secured creditors - former JD Sports executive chairman Peter Cowgill, owed more than £2.6 million, and Simon Clarke, owed close to £1.6 million - were repaid in full out of the sale proceeds.

HMRC and unsecured creditors were left far worse off. Administrators said in December 2025 that, "based on projected future recoveries, we do not foresee any distribution being available for HMRC". Companies House filings show Cowgill still holds a majority stake in the group.

The last full accounts filed by Upmarket Leisure, for the year to 30 March 2023, show losses widening to almost £1.5 million, up from £559,000 the previous year, with total creditor debts of close to £5.8 million-£6 million.

Third-party analysis of the same filings puts net liabilities at roughly £1.5 million and cash reserves down to just £189,000, against current liabilities of £3.6 million.

Begbies Traynor partner Dean Watson, who oversaw last year's rescue, said at the time that "the UK's leisure and hospitality sector continues to face significant headwinds," citing rising labour, operational and food costs alongside shifting consumer behaviour as pressures pushing more businesses toward restructuring.

HMRC said it "takes a supportive approach to dealing with customers who have tax debts and only files winding-up petitions once we've exhausted all other options, in order to protect taxpayers' money".

With a High Court hearing now pending, the outcome will determine whether the D'Acampo-branded restaurant estate - twice rescued from tax-driven collapse in under two years - can survive a third time, or whether its remaining five sites face a fresh round of distressed sale processes.

Winding-up petitions can be used by buyers to identify potential distressed acquisition opportunities. Find out more and track the latest winding-up petitions issued on Business Sale Report's dedicated page.

HMRC steps up closures of companies behind on tax
The new petition also fits a broader pattern of HMRC tightening enforcement against indebted UK businesses. Research from accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young shows HMRC applied to wind up 4,761 businesses over unpaid tax debts in 2025, a 31 per cent jump from 3,625 the year before, as the tax authority steps up efforts to recover billions of pounds in outstanding liabilities.

Data shows that HMRC is owed £42.8 billion in tax debt arrears. Additional resources have been diverted to the tax authority in the past two budgets to address the issue and it is aiming to recruit a further 2,400 debt management officers by 2029/30.

2,397 of HMRC’s winding-up petitions progressed over the last year to become “winding-up orders”, a rise of 27 per cent from 1,886 the year before.

Peter Kubik, Partner at UHY Hacker Young, commented: “HMRC is increasingly using winding-up petitions and the threat of liquidation as a debt collection tool. It should serve as a warning to directors that tax debts are being taken more seriously than ever by HMRC as they try to reduce the mountain in unpaid tax.”

With many businesses across a wide range of sectors continuing to face challenging trading conditions, including rising costs and higher taxes, owners have been urged to engage early with HMRC if they are struggling to meet their tax obligations.

Time to Pay arrangements with HMRC allow tax liabilities to be paid over an extended period, rather than in a single lump sum, and could potentially prevent some businesses from being shut down.

Peter Kubik continued: “The key point for businesses which are struggling to meet their tax obligations is to not ignore the problem. HMRC is often willing to discuss payment options where companies engage early and are transparent about their circumstances.”

“A winding-up petition is usually the result of a business failing to engage with HMRC rather than an inability to pay immediately. In many cases there is still an opportunity to negotiate a payment plan before matters escalate to formal insolvency proceedings.”

“Any business that is struggling to meet its tax obligations should contact HMRC as soon as possible and seek professional advice. Acting early can significantly improve the chances of reaching an agreement and avoiding enforcement action.”

Find out more about M&A trends across the UK's wider restaurant sector

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