Firm that went bust owing £650k to HMRC offers staff Las Vegas trip after being bought by ex-owner

Acquisition by Premier Group Recruitment boss Andrew Woosnam appears to be example of ‘phoenixism’

A recruitment business that went bust owing the tax authorities and other creditors almost £3m has promised to send its staff on an all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas after being repurchased by its former owner for an initial £10,000.

Premier Group Recruitment went into administration in September with debts of £2.9m – including £647,000 owed to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which had commenced enforcement proceedings against the company.

The recruiter’s assets were acquired three days later by a new company, PGGBR Ltd, founded by Andrew Woosnam, Premier’s 99% shareholder.

Shorn of its debts, the new company has been active on social media, posting on LinkedIn: “END OF YEAR TRIP 2026. We’re going BIG … That means our consultants have the chance to hit their targets throughout the year and earn an ALL-EXPENSES-PAID trip to Viva Las Vegas.”