Day: November 1, 2018

BVM, a Manchester-based company and its sister companies, all sold customers services to improve their online business profiles, all, to little or no commercial benefit.

All four companies have been wound up following investigations by the Insolvency Service.

In the case of BVM, the alleged customer offer was to manage company business profiles on ‘Google Places’ for business.

The first of the four companies operating the model to be wound-up (in April 2015), was On Line Platform Management Consultants Ltd, following that the second was Movette Ltd in July 2017 before the third TBL (UK) Ltd, in August 2018.

BVM continued the same or a very similar business to that previously carried on by Movette Ltd (Movette) (which was wound up on 28 July 2017 on the grounds that it operated against the public interest).

The Insolvency Service investigated the company’s affairs following complaints from customers. But the investigation was severely limited due to a lack of co-operation from those in control of BVM who failed to produce business documents.

The investigation established, and in winding up the company the Court accepted, that BVM had continued the objectionable business model previously carried on by Movette, by continuing to target the former customers of Movette.

Similarly, customers received little or no commercial benefit from the Google Places management service they purchased from BVM on an annual basis.

Furthermore, the court heard that BVM employed inappropriate and objectionable methods of debt collection and that the company had been abandoned by those controlling its day to day operations.

On 2 October 2018, the High Court sitting in Manchester heard the petition presented on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy.

In the absence of evidence submitted by the company, who failed to attend the hearing, Deputy District Judge Heseltine wound-up the company, in the public interest.

Commenting, David Hope, Chief Investigator with the Insolvency Service, said:

Beyond Vision Media Ltd continued an objectionable business model that used inappropriate methods of trading designed to extract money from businesses under false pretences.

The Insolvency Service will take action to shut down such rogue businesses. Additionally, the business community should take steps to verify the credentials of any third party that contacts them claiming to be continuing the services previously provided by Movette Ltd and/or Beyond Vision Media Ltd.

Notes to editors

Beyond Vision Media Ltd – company registration number 8586915 – was incorporated on 27 June 2013. The company’s registered office is at Unit 77 Cariocca Business Park, 2 Sawley Road, Manchester, M40 8BB.

The petition to wind-up Beyond Vision Media Ltd was presented under s124A of the Insolvency Act 1986 on 3 August 2018. The company was wound up on 2 October 2018 and the Official Receiver, Public Interest Unit (North) has been appointed as liquidator.

On Line Platform Management Consultants Ltd was incorporated on 25 January 2012. Its registered office was at Suite 125, 23 New Mount Street, Manchester M4 4DE.

The petition to wind up Online Platform Management Consultants Ltd was presented under s124A of the Insolvency Act 1986 on 03 February 2015. The Official Receiver was appointed as provisional liquidator on 10 February 2015. The company was wound up on 13 April 2015 and the Official Receiver was appointed as liquidator. The director of Online Platform Management Consultants Ltd, Roy Junior De-Vent, was subsequently disqualified from acting as a director for a period of 11 years.

Movette Ltd – company registration number 08705982 – was incorporated on 25 September 2013. The company’s registered office is at 86 Stonemere Drive, Radcliffe, Manchester M26 1QX and it traded from 23 New Mount Street, Manchester M4 4DE.

The petition to wind-up Movette Ltd was presented under s124A of the Insolvency Act 1986 on 12 May 2017. The Official Receiver was appointed provisional liquidator of the company on 18 May 2017. The company was wound up on 28 July 2017 and the Official Receiver has been appointed as liquidator.

TBL (UK) Ltd (Company number 10084021), was wound up on 20 August 2018.

Company Investigations, part of the Insolvency Service, uses powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Further information about live company investigations is available here. The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.

The agency also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

By virtue of the appointment of the Official Receiver all public enquiries concerning the affairs of the company should be made to: The Official Receiver, Public Interest Unit, 2nd Floor, 3 Piccadilly Place, London Road, Manchester, M1 3BN. Tel: 0161 234 8531 Email: piu.north@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk.

Contact Press Office

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7674 6910 or 020 7596 6187

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

Asset Recovery Associates Limited (ARA) was incorporated as a private company in July 2011. The linked company, Asset Recovery Resources (ARR) Limited was incorporated as a private company in December 2012. Both had the same registered office address in Warrington.

The companies held themselves out as being able to recover funds lost by victims of failed alternative investment schemes.

However, an investigation by the Insolvency Service, launched following complaints, found ARR’s claims to be false. The reality was that there was little or no prospect of funds being recovered.

The court heard that ARR’s staff cold-called victims offering to recover their money in return for the payment of an advance fee.

Victims described the sales staff employed by the company as ‘aggressive and persistent’ and claiming, entirely falsely, they had been appointed by the Insolvency Service.

The court heard that neither company cooperated with the investigation. Mr Alexander Goodrich, the director of both companies, stated that ARR was a dormant company that had been hijacked by fraudsters and that he had no knowledge of the cold-calling activity.

Mr Goodrich admitted that ARA had been involved in recovering monies lost by individuals in investment scams but told the court that he took the fees out of monies recovered and did not charge clients up front. He failed to produce the company’s accounting records to the investigators, claiming he no longer had access to them.

The lack of records has meant it has not been possible to find out how the companies got hold of investors’ details.

Commenting, David Hill , a chief investigator with the Insolvency Service, said:

ARR employed aggressive sales tactics to prey on people who had already lost money, seemingly with the aim of scamming them.

Members of the public, who have lost money in any kind of investment, should be wary of anyone calling them out-of-the-blue, claiming to be able to recoup their investment losses.

The Insolvency Service will investigate and shut down the activities of such companies.

On 22 October 2018, the court found that it was in the public interest that both companies be wound up.

Notes to editors

Asset Recovery Associates Limited was incorporated as a private company on 4 July 2011. The current registered office is located at 264 Old Liverpool Road, Warrington, WA5 1DZ.

The current recorded director of the company is Mr Alexander Goodrich.

Asset Recovery Resources Limited was incorporated as a private company on 27 December 2012. The current registered office is located at 264 Old Liverpool Road, Warrington, WA5 1DZ.

The current recorded director of the company is Mr Alexander Goodrich.

The petitions were presented under s124A of the Insolvency Act 1986 on 20 June 2018. By virtue of the winding up orders made on 22 October 2018 the Official Receiver is liquidator of the companies.

Company Investigations, part of the Insolvency Service, uses powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Further information about live company investigations is available here.

The Insolvency Service administers the insolvency regime, investigating all compulsory liquidations and individual insolvencies (bankruptcies) through the Official Receiver to establish why they became insolvent. It may also use powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK. In addition, the agency deals with disqualification of directors in corporate failures, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

All public enquiries concerning the affairs of the company should be made to: The Official Receiver, Public Interest Unit, 4 Abbey Orchard Street, London, SW1P 2HT. Telephone: 0207 637 1110 Email: piu.or@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk.

Contact Press Office

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7674 6910 or 020 7596 6187

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• YouTube

This is due to the retailers’ annual groceries turnover now exceeding £1bn.

The Groceries Supply Code of Practice (The Code) sets out how such grocery retailers should treat their suppliers and aims to make sure that they do not abuse their commercial power. For example, retailers bound by the Code cannot make changes to the terms of supply retrospectively and must provide notice of and reasons for no longer using a supplier.

Compliance with the Code is managed by the independent Groceries Code Adjudicator. The CMA regularly monitors UK retailers to see if they meet the criteria to be subject to the Code, as it only applies to those companies with an annual groceries turnover of more than £1bn.

The Code was created in 2009 following an investigation by the Competition and Market Authority’s (CMA) predecessor, the Competition Commission (CC). The CC investigated the supply of groceries in the UK and found that some suppliers of larger retailers were being treated unfairly. This meant suppliers were less likely to innovate and invest, leading to less choice and availability for customers.

Peter Hill, Head of Remedies Enforcement at the CMA, said:

These rules mean that suppliers are protected from unfair business practices, and retailers can trade with confidence on a level playing field. Businesses supplying Ocado and B&M will now also benefit from this protection.

Other retailers subject to the Code are Asda Stores Limited, Co-operative Group Limited, Marks & Spencer PLC, Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC, J Sainsbury PLC, Tesco PLC, Waitrose Limited, Aldi Stores Limited, Iceland Foods Limited, and Lidl UK GmbH.

Notes to editors

1. The CMA has designated Ocado and B&M Homestores under the Groceries (Supply Chain Practices) Market Investigation Order 2009, which means that they now need to comply with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice.
2. The CMA agreed with Government, as part of the Groceries Code Adjudicator Review, in February 2018, to formalise its current activities by reviewing publicly available information on an annual basis. Where there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that any retailer may have reached the turnover threshold specified in the Order, the CMA will request further evidence from it. This will allow the CMA to assess whether that retailer should be added to the list of designated retailers.
3. The Groceries Code Adjudicator Act, which created the GCA, came into force on 25 June 2013. The GCA is funded by a levy on regulated retailers with a UK annual turnover of more than £1bn.
4. Media enquiries should be directed to the CMA’s press team: press@cma.gov.uk, or 020 3738 6460.