Fallen star Schofield’s expertise company YMU in crunch finance talks

The expertise company which managed Phillip Schofield till the disgraced TV star’s profession imploded this week is that this weekend dealing with questions on its personal future after its lenders known as in advisers to discover a monetary restructuring.

Sky News can reveal that YMU, which is owned by a personal fairness agency, has for weeks been concerned in talks in regards to the state of its steadiness sheet following a hunch in earnings exacerbated by the pandemic.

The firm – whose identify stands for You, Me and Us – is among the most outstanding within the British leisure trade.

Its former shoppers embrace Mr Schofield’s erstwhile This Morning co-presenter, Holly Willoughby, whereas its present roster includes figures such because the Saturday Night Takeaway and Britain’s Got Talent duo Ant & Dec, Davina McCall and Claudia Winkleman.

Its music arm represents Paris Hilton, the previous mannequin and socialite, whereas its sports division manages a number of England rugby union internationals.

Based in London, YMU employs about 350 folks in places of work within the UK and the US.

City sources mentioned this weekend that Permira Credit and Lloyds Banking Group, that are mentioned to be owed roughly £70m by YMU, had employed AlixPartners a number of weeks in the past to undertake an unbiased enterprise evaluation of the company.

This pre-dated the scandal involving Mr Schofield’s relationship with an ITV colleague 30 years his junior, and was triggered by issues that YMU was prone to breach a number of of its borrowing covenants, based on insiders.

YMU itself, which is majority-owned by Trilantic Europe, has been suggested by PricewaterhouseCoopers on its funds, based on insiders.

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One supply mentioned the corporate had agreed with its lenders to nominate a chief restructuring officer, though it was unclear on Saturday whether or not this had taken place.

Media trade figures steered this weekend that YMU was probably to attract takeover curiosity from trade rivals.

The firm has been run since 2021 by Mary Bekhait, who beforehand ran its UK operations.

Accounts for the 12 months ended December 31, 2021 confirmed a turnover of £41.4m, with earnings earlier than curiosity, tax, depreciation and amortisation of £8.2m.

The firm declared itself glad with this efficiency within the context of the disruption brought on by the COVID-19 disaster.

Its newest accounts usually are not anticipated to be filed till the autumn.

One particular person near YMU insisted that the corporate was “growing” and mentioned there have been no grounds for issues about its future.

Mr Schofield, a long-standing consumer, just isn’t thought to have been a fabric fee-earner for YMU.

This week, the company mentioned it had severed ties with him after discovering “important new information” about his relationship with a male colleague.

“Honesty and integrity are core values for YMU’s whole business, defining everything we do,” Ms Bekhait mentioned.

“Talent management is a relationship based entirely on trust.”

YMU additionally employs Mr Schofield’s daughter, Emily, as a expertise supervisor.

He acknowledged in an interview with the BBC this week that his profession was over after he acknowledged mendacity to his spouse, employer and colleagues in regards to the relationship.

YMU says it represents greater than 1,000 shoppers, with high-profile people together with the TV presenter Graham Norton, actor Michael Fassbender and sports broadcaster Clare Balding all having been on its books.

Previously known as James Grant Group, the corporate was based in 1984 by Peter Powell, the previous Radio 1 DJ, and his enterprise accomplice, Russ Lindsay.

It was purchased by Formation, a media and leisure group, in 2008, earlier than being bought the next 12 months to Gresham, a personal fairness agency.

The enterprise was then bought to a different buyout agency, Metric Capital, which owned it from 2014 till the sale to Trilantic and rapid rebranding as YM&U 4 years later.

The scandal involving Mr Schofield poses a significant headache for ITV, Britain’s largest business broadcaster.

Its chief government, Dame Carolyn McCall, will seem earlier than MPs subsequent week as a part of a listening to inspecting the corporate’s method to safeguarding and grievance dealing with.

This weekend, YMU and AlixPartners each declined to remark, whereas Trilantic didn’t reply to an e-mail about its portfolio firm.