Businesses are currently facing a number of challenges, such as uncertainty surrounding Brexit and a sluggish economy. The retail sector in particular is experiencing a higher level of impairments (and, for some, going concern issues) as they contend with slow sales, high business rates and plenty of competition. Tougher economic conditions generally lead to increased risks of impairment, particularly for intangible assets such as goodwill.
In the technical findings from the Financial Reporting Committee’s 2017/18 Corporate Reporting Review, published in October 2018 (FRC technical findings 2018), impairment was one area highlighted where additional information was often requested and disclosures did not always contain all the required information.
When writing this report the latest 2017 and 2018 financial statements of 20 UK listed companies were selected at random for review of the impairment-related disclosures, focussing on intangible assets. It was ensured that a variety of industries such as retail, IT services and tourism and leisure were included.