Troubles brewing as firm behind Fifi and Ally goes bust

A sheriff's order to wind the company up was lodged on behalf of Internationales Immobilien Institut, a German property firm.

The claim said the caf bar, registered as ESB Scotland, was unable to pay its debts.

It was revealed last month that the company had closed its outlet in Wellington Street, Glasgow, one of two in the city. The other shop in the city's Princes Square is still trading despite the firm being in liquidation, which usually means its assets are up for sale to pay debts.

Fiona Hamilton, the entrepreneur behind Fifi and Ally and the coffee chain Beanscene, was unavailable for comment.

Last week, Hamilton confirmed a wave of redundancies at coffee shop chain Beanscene, which she bought out of administration last year. She said the firm continued to trade well despite making eight redundancies among management personnel in a restructuring exercise.

Hamilton is also the sole director of other companies, including Fifi and Ally Baby, which is understood to hold the accounts for Beanscene. The firm has not yet filed accounts, which were due in April. If they are eventually filed these are likely to provide further details of the future trading status of the remaining Fifi and Ally store.

Concerns about the stylish caf bar shops began in May when its shop in Wellington Street closed its doors after it emerged Hamilton's business partner and cousin, Alison Fielding, had resigned as a director last year.

Hamilton was last year deemed Scottish Business Insider magazine's Businesswoman of the Year by a panel of Scottish business people for buying Beanscene from administrators.

According to the most recent accounts for the Fifi and Ally business, the firm made a pre-tax loss of 248,000 on turnover of 1.8 million.

The sheriff appointed Glasgow accountants French Duncan as an interim liquidator for ESB Scotland. The firm's insolvency partner, Annette Menzies, was also unavailable for comment.