Westway
Development Trust: market forces cast
cloud over property developer - 3/5
This research document will
make little sense if you haven't read
Brian Deer's Notting
Hell from The Sunday
Times of June 17 2001. In July 2002 the
trust renamed itself Westway Development
Trust. A Westway
Development Trust index of materials is
also available
(E)
LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANIES
It
is prohibitively time-consuming to
produce a definitive list of Mr Nixon's
companies. His strategy appears to be to
start one limited liability company after
another, sometimes claiming them to be
plc's, with issued share capital of £2,
which make themselves known to form
contracts, assume liability for business
rates and other debts. After a period of
non-submission of information to
Companies House, each company is duly
struck off the register and the game
begins again with a new incorporation. It
is understood that boxes are kept at Mr
Nixon's various addresses into which
correspondence, summonses, bailiffs
letters, county court judgments and
suchlike are scooped before being thrown
away like pizza menus.
The
following list was compiled from
Companies House data on 02/07/01, but for
some reason there are other companies of
Mr Nixon's not on this list:
Maurice
Samuel Nixon, Harrow House, Newtown Road,
Worcester WR4 9AB
dob
10/02/55
name
commenced status
Unirex
plc [till 1991: Countrywide Group plc]
pre 17/01/91 liquidation
Countrywide
Market Management Ltd 02204074 pre
17/01/91 dissolved
Prime
Investment Holdings Ltd pre 31/12/90
dissolved
Foldmont
Ltd pre 11/03/91 dissolved
Realtor
Management Ltd pre 18/03/91 dissolved
Orelia
Management Ltd pre 16/03/91 dissolved
Dorchester
& Grosvenor Estate Ltd pre 11/06/91
dissolved
Amesz
Management Ltd pre 19/03/91 dissolved
Southrise
Ltd pre 19/06/91 dissolved
Market
Barrows Ltd pre 21/06/91 dissolved
The
Market People Ltd pre 19/06/91 dissolved
Festival
Markets Ltd pre 12/05/92 dissolved
Festival
Market Centres Ltd pre 12/05/92 dissolved
Comarkets
plc pre 01/06/92 dissolved
Portobello
Road Market Stall Hire Ltd [see rate
note 1] pre 04/06/92 dissolved
Countrywide
Market Management Ltd 02472680 pre
21/02/92 dissolved
Ribhold
Ltd pre 08/04/92 dissolved
Countrywide
Market Operators (1987) Ltd pre 02/05/92
dissolved
Countrywide
Market Group Ltd 12/08/92 dissolved
UK
Specialist Sales & Promotions Ltd pre
07/11/92 dissolved
European
Markets Ltd pre 12/09/92 dissolved
Boot
Fair Ltd pre 31/12/92 dissolved
Lyrical
Publishing Company Ltd (The) pre 13/02/93
dissolved
Kresta
Management Ltd pre 19/03/93 dissolved
Countrywide
Markets Ltd pre 19/06/91 dissolved
Countrywide
Markets (Southern) Ltd pre 16/06/90
dissolved
The
Car Booters Club Ltd 01/10/91 dissolved
Countrywide
Markets (Northern) Ltd pre 16/06/90
dissolved
Nationwide
Markets Management Company Ltd pre
31/12/92 dissolved
Street
Market Specialists (UK) Ltd pre 27/04/92
dissolved
Nationwide
Markets Ltd pre 11/06/91 dissolved
Foldaway
Stall Ltd pre 13/11/92 dissolved
Stourport
Markets Shopping Halls & Malls Ltd
pre 27/08/93 dissolved
Berrywell
(Properties) Ltd pre 31/03/92 active
Clearing
Depot Ltd pre 19/06/91 dissolved
Strawberry
Dream Records Ltd pre 10/10/92 dissolved
Bandmaker
Ltd pre 09/11/92 dissolved
Sharmear
Ltd pre 28/02/92 dissolved
Spearbury
Ltd pre 20/05/92 dissolved
Sharnova
Ltd pre 13/02/92 dissolved
Strawberry
Spirit Records Ltd pre 18/05/92 dissolved
Maurice
Samuel Nixon, 36 Furnival Street, London
EC4A 1JQ
dob
10/02/55
Vesold
Ltd 16/03/92 dissolved
Maurice
Samuel Nixon, PO Box 253. Worcester,
Worcestershire WR4 9UJ
dob
10/02/55
Waterside
Shopping Ltd 28/05/93 dissolved
[Stourport
Markets Shopping Halls & Malls Ltd
[as above] 27/08/92 dissolved]
Maurice
Samuel Nixon, 165 Portobello Road, London
W11 1LR
dob
10/02/55
Cheval
Brompton Holdings Ltd 06/12/93 active**
Curiosity
Street Ltd 09/12/93 dissolved
Motown
Bar Ltd 17/03/94 active***
Countrywide
Leisure Group plc 06/12/94 active****
The
Detroit Soul Bar Ltd 06/03/95 dissolved
Countrywide
95 Ltd 22/01/96 dissolved
Typeamount
Projects Ltd [see rate note 2]
18/03/94 dissolved
Clio
Developments Ltd 31/05/94 dissolved
Arthur
Daley Boot Fairs Ltd 05/05/93 dissolved
Countrywide
Market Holdings Ltd 10/02/94 dissolved
Crowhurst
Estate Management Ltd 10/02/94 dissolved
Collectors
Walks Ltd 13/05/93 dissolved
Keelward
Ltd 21/04/93 dissolved
Motown
Majic Soul Bar Ltd 13/12/94 dissolved
Trent
Centre Ltd 08/09/95 dissolved
Hampdene
Properties Ltd 04/09/92 dissolved
Maurice
Samuel Nixon, 5A Codrington Mews, London
W11 2EH
dob
10/02/55
UK
Builders Ltd 13/05/93 dissolved
Trash
& Treasure Ltd 13/05/93 dissolved
Maurice
Samuel Nixon, Centurion House, Bench
Street, Dover, Kent
dob
10/02/55
Worldline
Trading Ltd 10/06/93 dissolved
Maurice
Samuel Nixon, Greenacres, Sherrards
Green, Malvern, Worcestershire WR13 5AS.
dob 10/02/55
Port
Developments Ltd 02/01/97 active
Countrywide
Leisure Management Ltd 01/04/97 dissolved
Maurice
Samuel Nixon, 99 Lisson Grove, London NW1
6UP
dob
10/02/55
E-Retailmarket
Ltd 04063221 31/08/00 active
Marketscene
Ltd 30/08/00 active
Markets
UK Co Ltd 04/01/01 active
E-Retailmarket
s Ltd 04073842 19/09/00 active
E-Web
Corporation Ltd 23/06/00 active
Traders
Internet Ltd 23/06/00 active
No
companies appear to be registered at his
Chelsea home: 75 Drayton Gardens,
London SW10 9QZ.
**
According to a Dun & Bradstreet
Comprehensive Report dated 23rd May 2001 [M13],
Cheval Brompton Holdings Ltd is a
property developer and has:
-
two county court judgments registered
against it during the past 36 months,
both at Northampton
-
three mortgages and charges registered,
all to the Bank of East Asia
- a
Dun & Bradstreet rating of 04,
indicating "a financial strength
which is undisclosed and an overall
condition which is poor (significant
level of risk)". D& B recommend
that before extending credit, suppliers
seek suitable assurances or guarantees.
-
not filed an annual return since 1998, or
accounts since 1995.
In
fact, the Companies House fiche shows no
accounts filed by Cheval Brompton
Holdings Ltd whatsoever. On 23/03/01
Companies House filed three months notice
of its intention to strike Cheval
Brompton Holdings Ltd off the register.
Cheval
Brompton also holds itself out on the
world-wide web as operating an internet
domain sales service.
*** Motown
Bar Ltd has never declared assets
beyond its share capital of £2.
****
Countrywide Leisure Group plc has
never traded since its formation in 1994
- at least according to token accounts
filed at Companies House [M14].
Nevertheless, despite is purported
inactivity, three county court judgments
are recorded by Dun & Bradstreet [M15],
indicating that it was in fact trading
after all. The judgments total £11,801 -
from Middlesborough, Hartlepool and
Swindon county courts. The Companies
House register also reveals a charge on
the company by the London Borough of
Bexley for a £35,000 rent deposit deed [M16].
A
significant sampling of the companies
above reveal them typically to have £2,
no filed accounts and to have been
administratively struck off the register.
Further
address, some of which may be
company-formation bureaux, known to be
connected with Mr Nixon are:
265
Portobello Road, London W11 1LR, the
address for Typeamount Projects Ltd
(dissolved) and other activities
Osborne
Ho, 186 Doncaster Rd, Mexborough, South
Yorkshire S64 0JW, registered address
for Nationwide Markets Ltd (dissolved)
27
Romford Rd, London E15 4LJ,
registered address for Countrywide
Markets Ltd (dissolved)
Scorpio
House, 102 Sydney Street, London SW3 6NJ,
registered office for Countrywide Market
Holdings Ltd (dissolved)
23
Hatfield Walk, Crawley, West Sussex RH11
6EH, registered address for
Countrywide Contracts 2000 Ltd
(dissolved) which, for some reason, does
not appear to come up on Mr Nixon's list
of directorships at Companies House.
65
Windermere Way, Stourport-on-Severn,
Worcestershire DY13 8JR, registered
address for Countrywide Leisure
Management Ltd.
A
further company operating from 165-169
Portobello Road in the 1990s was Ashburton
Promotions Ltd (dissolved). A county
court judgment was obtained against it by
Coca Cola & Schweppes Beverages for
£1,478 in March 1997. Another was Cranford
Leisure Ltd. Another was Direct
Companies (London) Ltd.
(F)
BUSINESS RATES
A
significant element of the game appears
to be the avoidance of business rates.
rate
note 1: A business rate demand to Portobello
Road Market Stall Hire Ltd
(dissolved) (or alternatively Stall Hire
Ltd) dated 20/03/97 (re account
624256081009) has been identified as
issued by Royal Borough of Kensington
& Chelsea: £24,207.51. This demand
was obtained by chance. Current status is
unknown.
rate
note 2: A bailiff's notice to Typeamount
Projects Ltd (dissolved), obtained by
chance, dated 11/03/97 re business rates
due to Sandwell Metropolitan Borough
Council: £10,869.92.
Additional
rate note: Two further bailiff's
notices were received at 165 Portobello
Road and obtained by chance, concerning
business rates dated 03/01/97 and
18/03/97, from Wyre Forest District
Council and Worcester City Council,
valued at £391.96 and £1,825.02
respectively. These were addressed to Spearhead
Management Ltd, of which Mr Nixon was
not registered as a director.
A
verbal report from a bailiff's company
acting primarily for local authorities in
the West Midlands area indicated on
10/7/01 that the companies of Mr Nixon
and of Stanley Leslie Nixon (dob
04/11/28), his father, were well-known as
defaulters on business rates. Although
the bailiff's company handles tens of
thousands of accounts annually, the
managing director immediately responded
"Countrywide" when the name
Nixon was mentioned.
(G)
NON-LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
Mr
Nixon appears to appreciate the benefits
of limited liability. However, a Dun
& Bradsteet search also identified a
non-limited trading entity as follows:
Countrywide
Group PO Box 253 Harvington Festival
Centre, Worcester, WR4 9UJ
Dun
& Bradstreet [M17] reported
one county court judgment (at Walsall)
during the past 36 months and rated the
business 04: "A financial strength
which is undisclosed and an overall
condition which is poor (significant
level of risk)". D& B recommend
that before extending credit, suppliers
seek suitable assurances or guarantees.
PO
Box 253, Worcester, is the address given
on the Countrywide leaflet distributed in
the Westway market mentioning the tragic
fire. No accounts or information on
directors etc is publicly available for a
non-limited entity .
A
call placed on 17th July 2001 to the
number given for Countrywide Group by Dun
& Bradstreet was answered by a person
later identified by his voice as
apparently Ricky Taylor (dob 29/11/56), a
director in some of Mr Nixon's companies.
The conversation was as follows:
Taylor:
"Good morning. Can I help you?"
Deer:
"Good morning. Is that Countrywide
Group?"
"Yes."
"Hi.
My name's Brian Deer. I'm a journalist
with The Sunday Times. Er, who's
that?"
"Well,
er, in what, can I help you?"
[laughs]
"Yes, um, have you got a moment?
I'll tell you what I'm doing."
"Well
I'm very busy at the moment. I'm not very
interested anyway."
"Well,
let me just tell you..."
"Thank
you very much indeed. Bye." [Hangs
up]
|