Expertise
Fraser leads the London Restructuring team and has 25 years' experience advising insolvency practitioners, clearing banks, financial institutions, and other stakeholders on all aspects of under-performing or distressed corporates. He has advised in relation to distress in organisations across a variety of sectors, including haulage and logistics, construction, hotels and leisure, shopping centres and retail malls, and most recently in the energy sector.
Fraser's experience includes:
- acting for the original founders of Planet Organic on their acquisition of its business and assets from its administrators Interpath Advisory.
- acting for Crocus.co.uk - the biggest gardening website in the UK upon its acquisition from its administrators of the business and assets of Primrose.co.uk, a £40m turnover business previously owned by Luke Johnson's Risk Capital Partners.
- acting for Interpath Advisory as administrators of Recycling Technologies Group Plc.
- acting for the Senior Lenders on Project Dogma the restructuring of an International group of manufacturing businesses.
- acting for Interpath Advisory as administrators of the Contract Natural Gas group of companies, the largest independent gas shipper in the UK. and in connection with applications of the officeholders of certain failed energy suppliers applied to the High Court for directions as to the nature and provability of certain liabilities owed to creditors (including a renewables obligation owed to OFGEM). See: Re Utility Point Limited and Ors [2022] EWHC 2826 (Ch).
- acting for A&M as administrators of the Aurora Group – an international lighting business, and the subsequent sale of various of its subsidiary undertakings in a variety of jurisdictions.
- acting for PWC as administrators of Evans Cycles having advised the Board of Directors for several months prior to its eventual sale to Sports Direct Plc (for which the team has been nominated for Corporate Rescue of the Year – Legal Team in the TRI Awards.
- advising KPMG as administrators of HMV.
- advising Crew Clothing upon its acquisition of Saltrock.
- advising the Board of Directors of AIM listed Utilitywise Plc in connection with its regulatory obligations and in connection with a distressed AMA process.
- advising the syndicate of lenders on the restructuring of the Carewatch Group alongside Grant Thornton (short-listed for Large Corporate Rescue of the year in the RI Awards).
- Publications
- Over the years Fraser has contributed various articles to Restructuring and Insolvency publications and journals.
- Testimonials
"Fraser Ritson has excellent insolvency knowledge and is able to balance this with his astute commercial acumen."
Chambers 2023"He is very practical and brings a commercial lens that's very helpful. He's also very responsive."
Chambers 2023
"Fraser Ritson provides ‘commercially pragmatic and very responsive’ advice to a range of stakeholders, primarily on domestic mandates."
Legal 500 2023"Fraser Ritson guided the board through a very difficult and prolonged period of stress and distress, including moving the company into administration. He navigated the director issues with real skill and understanding, including dealing with complex financial arrangements with the lenders. He is absolutely my go-to choice for director issues in stressed and distressed situations. He is well liked by lenders and other law firms, which really helped."
Chambers 2020Fraser Ritson "makes himself available, has a good grasp of detail and provided practical advice," according to one client, who adds that he "goes above and beyond."
Chambers'Experienced and driven' co-head Fraser Ritson has recently received a significant number of instructions from boards of directors of troubled companies, including from Evans Cycles.
Legal 500