(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]
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