The number of retailers using company voluntary arrangements to renegotiate their debts with landlords increased by more than 25% last year.
Figures compiled by law firm Wedlake Bell show that 54 retail businesses used the rescue measure in the past 12 months, up from 44 in the previous year. The firm believes this week's quarter day - 29 September - will lead to a new wave of CVAs.
Edward Starling, a partner in Wedlake Bell's business recoveries division, said: "Retailers are faced with a toxic brew of woes caused by the credit crunch, sluggish summer trading and the next quarter's advance rental payment."
"Troubled retailers see a CVA as a good way to slash their business's historic debts and control costs going forward in order to save the business."
While the call for rent this quarter has already led variety store retailer Hub and electronics store Sonex Communications, which operates 16 Sony Centres, to collapse, agents and landlords said that the December and March quarter days were more likely to heap pressure on retailers.
They said that the banks would take a more lenient stance toward retailer this quarter to enable them to continue to trade over the Christmas period.
One source said: "Problems often arise for retailers if they pump money into stock that doesn't shift over Christmas, which means that the December and March quarter days are the ones to watch out for."
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