Hilco UK boss Paul McGowan took home a £4.5m bonus last year as the restructuring firm benefitted from snapping up ailing retailers.

In accounts due to be published this week, Hilco will reveal profits improved £4m to £21m in 2010, according to the Sunday Times.

Hilco’s most recent high profile deal was the sale of Habitat UK to Home Retail for £24m in June. Home Retail acquired three stores and the website, while the rest of the UK store estate was put into administration.

Hilco has been labelled as the ‘undertaker’ of failing businesses, but McGowan argues that Hilco takes on difficult situations that “nobody else wants”.

Other high profile deals have included the winding up of Borders UK. Hilco also aided the store closures of Woolworths.