Showing posts with label SPCK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SPCK. Show all posts
Saturday, September 15, 2012
SPCK vs Society of St Stephen the Great: the end.
Phil Groom reports the closing of the book on the sorry case of the Society of St. Stephen the Great, and their destruction of what used to be SPCK bookshops. Full background at the SPCK/SSG blog, (and an update based on the SPCK statement) for those who remember this ongoing campaign. SPCK statement here.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
SPCK bookshops - a few loose pages
The saga of the former SPCK bookshops wound up fairly rapidly last year following the takeover of the governing charity by the Charity Commissioners, and the closure of the remaining former SPCK bookshops, with Durham making a last stand until the roof beginning to fall in in the Great Kitchen (bit of a metaphor, that) precipitated the closure of the final remaining shop.
A couple of recent developments which might be of interest to folk who've followed all this -
1. The St Stephen the Great charity is being kept under charity commisioners control, and all the tribunal settlements (over £300k) with former staff have been made.
2. The SSG company registered at Companies House has been dissolved.
3. From the sound of it, the re-opened Durham Cathedral shop will need regular encouragement from customers if it's to return to being a top quality theological stockist. Building problems don't help, and I guess the loss of Tom Wright for high profile book launches won't help either, but it would be sad if it just became another cathedral tat shop for fudge and postcards. There are too many of those already.
4. There may be some kind of meet up at the Christian Resources Exhibition later this month in Sandown.
A couple of recent developments which might be of interest to folk who've followed all this -
1. The St Stephen the Great charity is being kept under charity commisioners control, and all the tribunal settlements (over £300k) with former staff have been made.
2. The SSG company registered at Companies House has been dissolved.
3. From the sound of it, the re-opened Durham Cathedral shop will need regular encouragement from customers if it's to return to being a top quality theological stockist. Building problems don't help, and I guess the loss of Tom Wright for high profile book launches won't help either, but it would be sad if it just became another cathedral tat shop for fudge and postcards. There are too many of those already.
4. There may be some kind of meet up at the Christian Resources Exhibition later this month in Sandown.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Durham Cathedral SPCK/SSG: the Last Post
The final curtain has fallen in Durham on Phil and Mark Brewers bruising foray into UK bookselling. The good news that Durham Cathedral is sticking to its promise to re-open the shop under Cathedral management. Earlier this week the shop was suddenly closed (probably by email - that seems to be the Brewers preferred way of laying people off), following some rapid reshuffling of stock the week before as snow and frost damage started affecting the Great Kitchen, main site of the bookshop.
Reports:
Bookseller
Church Times (subscriber only till Friday 5th Feb)
SPCK/SSG News Notes and Info (comments too)
According to the Northern Echo, the Cathedral has said that it will re-employ the 6 current staff, though it has longer term plans to do a feasibility study on the best site for a bookshop. I just hope that what was once a flagship theological bookshop doesn't get lost: it must be tempting for Cathedrals to follow the dollar and stock teatowels, fudge and union jack merchandise to pay for the biblically proportioned heating and maintenance bills. Durham used to be an excellent theological bookshop, and with a university and two training colleges on the doorstep, there must still be a market there if it can recover its reputation. The comments of the chapter clerk in the Echo report suggest that the bookshop and gift shop might be separate entities.
The Echo also notes: Neither the Brewers nor the Saint Stephen the Great Trust could be contacted for comment. Now there's a surprise.
Someone who I think is one of the bookshop staff has commented on the Durham Cathedral Facebook page: "We are devasted but I'm sure that the new shop will be a fantastic one. Thanks to our customers and friends for their support."
There is still some unfinished business:
- Unpaid staff, and issues over pension payments
- Brewer creditors, and whether they'll see their money again. However, unless creditors are prepared to pursue the Brewers through the courts (oh for a workable extradition treaty with the USA!), it's unlikely that the bills will be paid.
- The nature of the settlement with former staff who settled out of court with the Charity Commissioners in 2009.
Last I heard Phil Brewer owned a private plane (sorry, originally called this a 'jet', which isn't accurate - see comments. Got a bit carried away...) and Mark Brewer ran a law firm with 7 attorneys plus support staff, and regularly dealt with million dollar cases. They are named as the trustees of the Society of St. Stephen the Great (which originally took on the bookshops from SPCK), and the Directors of ENC Management (which took over from SSG, leaving all SSG bills unpaid and zeroing the Brewer debts at a stroke). I still can't work out how they get to walk away from all this. I also can't work out how Mark Brewer gets full marks for ethics.
As the title suggest, this is probably my last post on the SPCK/SSG campaign. Well done to Phil Groom, Dave Walker and Matt Wardman for being the backbone of it, lets hope and pray the Christian book trade can learn some lessons - they've certainly come at a price.
Reports:
Bookseller
Church Times (subscriber only till Friday 5th Feb)
SPCK/SSG News Notes and Info (comments too)
According to the Northern Echo, the Cathedral has said that it will re-employ the 6 current staff, though it has longer term plans to do a feasibility study on the best site for a bookshop. I just hope that what was once a flagship theological bookshop doesn't get lost: it must be tempting for Cathedrals to follow the dollar and stock teatowels, fudge and union jack merchandise to pay for the biblically proportioned heating and maintenance bills. Durham used to be an excellent theological bookshop, and with a university and two training colleges on the doorstep, there must still be a market there if it can recover its reputation. The comments of the chapter clerk in the Echo report suggest that the bookshop and gift shop might be separate entities.
The Echo also notes: Neither the Brewers nor the Saint Stephen the Great Trust could be contacted for comment. Now there's a surprise.
Someone who I think is one of the bookshop staff has commented on the Durham Cathedral Facebook page: "We are devasted but I'm sure that the new shop will be a fantastic one. Thanks to our customers and friends for their support."
There is still some unfinished business:
- Unpaid staff, and issues over pension payments
- Brewer creditors, and whether they'll see their money again. However, unless creditors are prepared to pursue the Brewers through the courts (oh for a workable extradition treaty with the USA!), it's unlikely that the bills will be paid.
- The nature of the settlement with former staff who settled out of court with the Charity Commissioners in 2009.
Last I heard Phil Brewer owned a private plane (sorry, originally called this a 'jet', which isn't accurate - see comments. Got a bit carried away...) and Mark Brewer ran a law firm with 7 attorneys plus support staff, and regularly dealt with million dollar cases. They are named as the trustees of the Society of St. Stephen the Great (which originally took on the bookshops from SPCK), and the Directors of ENC Management (which took over from SSG, leaving all SSG bills unpaid and zeroing the Brewer debts at a stroke). I still can't work out how they get to walk away from all this. I also can't work out how Mark Brewer gets full marks for ethics.
As the title suggest, this is probably my last post on the SPCK/SSG campaign. Well done to Phil Groom, Dave Walker and Matt Wardman for being the backbone of it, lets hope and pray the Christian book trade can learn some lessons - they've certainly come at a price.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Exit Pursued by a Union: Brewer Pulls the Plug on Durham Shop
News on various blogs in the last 24 hours of the final moments of what used to be SPCK Bookshops. Regular readers will know that they were taken over by Texan family Phil and Mark Brewer a few years ago, and that the chain has gradually fallen apart amidst mistreatment of staff and attempted gagging of bloggers reporting the story.
The Charity Commissioners took possession of all but two remaining shops earlier this year, and settled out of court with 30 staff who, with the help of USDAW, were pursuing the Brewers for unfair dismissal and non-payment of wages. Then Chichester was seized and has now re-opened under the former manager to great rejoicing. I guess marching into the heart of Durham Cathedral was going to be difficult for a government agency, but Durham themselves gave 12 months notice on the bookshop in April 2009, and this week the Brewers threw in the towel and closed the shop, just after various health and safety concerns had forced the removal of the remaining stock from the main selling space, the Great Kitchen.
The Durham Cathedral site states that a new shop will open on the site in due course. I hope, for the sake of the existing staff, that it's sooner rather than later, and that the shop can recover some of the damage to its reputation inflicted by the mismanagement of the last couple of years.
From what I'm aware, there remain unpaid bills both to suppliers and to staff which the Brewers are liable for. I don't know if extradition policy works both ways, but it would be nice to think that they can't just disappear off into the USA undergrowth without some kind of accountability.
Another concern at this stage is that the new shop may follow the line pursued in other Cathedral bookshops, of going for the tourist market more than the theological book trade. Without the buying power of a decent sized chain (as SPCK was), an independent store may copy the likes of, say, Salisbury (to pick a local example - I've not done a comprehensive survey of all the cathedrals) and go for the dollars. That would be understandable, especially given the massive maintenance bill on Cathedrals, but it would be a loss as well.
The Charity Commissioners took possession of all but two remaining shops earlier this year, and settled out of court with 30 staff who, with the help of USDAW, were pursuing the Brewers for unfair dismissal and non-payment of wages. Then Chichester was seized and has now re-opened under the former manager to great rejoicing. I guess marching into the heart of Durham Cathedral was going to be difficult for a government agency, but Durham themselves gave 12 months notice on the bookshop in April 2009, and this week the Brewers threw in the towel and closed the shop, just after various health and safety concerns had forced the removal of the remaining stock from the main selling space, the Great Kitchen.
The Durham Cathedral site states that a new shop will open on the site in due course. I hope, for the sake of the existing staff, that it's sooner rather than later, and that the shop can recover some of the damage to its reputation inflicted by the mismanagement of the last couple of years.
From what I'm aware, there remain unpaid bills both to suppliers and to staff which the Brewers are liable for. I don't know if extradition policy works both ways, but it would be nice to think that they can't just disappear off into the USA undergrowth without some kind of accountability.
Another concern at this stage is that the new shop may follow the line pursued in other Cathedral bookshops, of going for the tourist market more than the theological book trade. Without the buying power of a decent sized chain (as SPCK was), an independent store may copy the likes of, say, Salisbury (to pick a local example - I've not done a comprehensive survey of all the cathedrals) and go for the dollars. That would be understandable, especially given the massive maintenance bill on Cathedrals, but it would be a loss as well.
Monday, November 30, 2009
SPCK Bookshops, You have 2 Weeks to find the IOU's.
Last week, an advert appeared in the Bookseller journal, which concluded:
Creditors who believe that they have a valid claim against the Trustees of St Stephen the Great Charitable Trust incurred before 1 July 2007, should write to the Interim Manager at Begbies Traynor (Central) LLP, 32 Cornhill, London EC3V 3BT under ref S8703 before the close of business on 16 December 2009.
Presented by: Begbies Traynor (Central) LLP
Presenter’s Reference: S8703/PJG/NGA/BRS
The full statement, along with some analysis by Matt Wardman, is on the SPCKSSG blog, along with some debate about what it means. A few comments:
1. If you think you're owed money by the former SPCK bookshops, and you aren't already snowed under by the Christmas rush, you only have a few days to dig the files out. Creditors include development charities, makers of Palm Crosses, quite probably the Church of England Pensions Board, as well as book companies.
2. If you know someone who might be in situation 1, please give them a nudge, and quickly.
3. There are questions being asked of the CC about the cutoff date: does this mean that any debts incurred after 1st July 2007 won't get paid at all? The CC have taken over all the former SPCK shops bar Durham (and it isn't very clear why Durham is the exception), and have taken legal responsibility for settling the claims of former staff. It's therefore not clear why 1/7/07 is the limit of legal responsibility.
Matt Wardman comments
Those of us who have been campaigning on this for the last 12-24 months think that the claim for a cutoff of July 1 2007 is potentially spurious, and we're writing to the Church Times and Bookseller to point that out, but the basic notice needs publicity as it gives a "claim before" date of 16 December.
Quite how nunneries in Eastern Europe, development charities, Carlisle Cathedral, craft companies, and communion wine suppliers are supposed to hear via a notice in the printed Bookseller after three years and respond in a fortnight completely baffles me.
Creditors who believe that they have a valid claim against the Trustees of St Stephen the Great Charitable Trust incurred before 1 July 2007, should write to the Interim Manager at Begbies Traynor (Central) LLP, 32 Cornhill, London EC3V 3BT under ref S8703 before the close of business on 16 December 2009.
Presented by: Begbies Traynor (Central) LLP
Presenter’s Reference: S8703/PJG/NGA/BRS
The full statement, along with some analysis by Matt Wardman, is on the SPCKSSG blog, along with some debate about what it means. A few comments:
1. If you think you're owed money by the former SPCK bookshops, and you aren't already snowed under by the Christmas rush, you only have a few days to dig the files out. Creditors include development charities, makers of Palm Crosses, quite probably the Church of England Pensions Board, as well as book companies.
2. If you know someone who might be in situation 1, please give them a nudge, and quickly.
3. There are questions being asked of the CC about the cutoff date: does this mean that any debts incurred after 1st July 2007 won't get paid at all? The CC have taken over all the former SPCK shops bar Durham (and it isn't very clear why Durham is the exception), and have taken legal responsibility for settling the claims of former staff. It's therefore not clear why 1/7/07 is the limit of legal responsibility.
Matt Wardman comments
Those of us who have been campaigning on this for the last 12-24 months think that the claim for a cutoff of July 1 2007 is potentially spurious, and we're writing to the Church Times and Bookseller to point that out, but the basic notice needs publicity as it gives a "claim before" date of 16 December.
Quite how nunneries in Eastern Europe, development charities, Carlisle Cathedral, craft companies, and communion wine suppliers are supposed to hear via a notice in the printed Bookseller after three years and respond in a fortnight completely baffles me.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Bookshops for Sale, ex-SPCK
Phil Groom reports that some of the former SPCK bookshop premises are now up for sale, as the Charity Commissioners go about the process of selling assets of what used to be The Society of St. Stephen the Great (SSG). SSG, as regular readers may recall, was taken over by the Commissioners earlier this year, and a settlement reached with former staff who had been unfairly dismissed.
At least 2 shops are up for sale. Durham remains the only shop in operation by the Brewer brothers, the SSG owners (now trading under a new name in a ruse to avoid paying their creditors). It's still odd that the CC haven't taken Durham over as well, but the Cathedral have given notice on the shop, so it will be closed by April 2010 whatever happens, and hopefully reopened under newer and better management.
Having said that, there may not be many assets to realise at Durham, as a look at the shelves (above) reveals. However, if you're after a 2nd hand car, keep an eye out for this one. Coming soon to an auction near you.
Monday, September 28, 2009
SPCK - unfinished business
The SPCK Annual General Meeting is coming up, and the annual report and accounts for 2008-9 are online. There is a passing reference to the former SPCK bookshops:
"SPCK continues to have a number of significant legal issues with Saint Stephen the Great Charitable Trust in regard to matters connected with the former SPCK Bookshops. The Charity Commission has appointed an Interim Manager for the Trust, and progress is being made." (page 6)
Others have stronger views than I over how much responsibility SPCK should shoulder for handing over their bookshops (and staff, customers, and suppliers) to a family of charlatans, who have unfairly dismissed over 30 former staff, been censured in the US courts for a fraudulent bankrupcty claim, and finally been booted out by the Charity Commissioners.
Some better news for former staff: the report reveals that their pension scheme, which is managed by the CofE pension folks (as far as I can tell), had a big shortfall as a result of the CofE revaluing its pensions (though it was struggling before this). SPCK has started making additional payments into the fund of £285,000 to top it up. This is going to be paid for the next 15 years, and the whole amount has been put on this years balance sheet - £3,832,000.
So though the pension fund has imploded, SPCK are at least doing their bit to support former bookshop staff on this front.
Couple of other things:
- SPCK have nearly £300k in a restricted fund for Newcastle Bible House, which seems to be for the purpose of Christian retailing in Newcastle. What's going to happen to this?
- Do the premises of former bookshops still belong to SPCK, or were they completely made over to the Brewers? The shops, as I understand, were given over with restrictive covenant, and at least one has been sold on by the Brewers for another use. Not sure what the legal situation is here, whether the shops revert to SPCK if the covenant has been transgressed.
"SPCK continues to have a number of significant legal issues with Saint Stephen the Great Charitable Trust in regard to matters connected with the former SPCK Bookshops. The Charity Commission has appointed an Interim Manager for the Trust, and progress is being made." (page 6)
Others have stronger views than I over how much responsibility SPCK should shoulder for handing over their bookshops (and staff, customers, and suppliers) to a family of charlatans, who have unfairly dismissed over 30 former staff, been censured in the US courts for a fraudulent bankrupcty claim, and finally been booted out by the Charity Commissioners.
Some better news for former staff: the report reveals that their pension scheme, which is managed by the CofE pension folks (as far as I can tell), had a big shortfall as a result of the CofE revaluing its pensions (though it was struggling before this). SPCK has started making additional payments into the fund of £285,000 to top it up. This is going to be paid for the next 15 years, and the whole amount has been put on this years balance sheet - £3,832,000.
So though the pension fund has imploded, SPCK are at least doing their bit to support former bookshop staff on this front.
Couple of other things:
- SPCK have nearly £300k in a restricted fund for Newcastle Bible House, which seems to be for the purpose of Christian retailing in Newcastle. What's going to happen to this?
- Do the premises of former bookshops still belong to SPCK, or were they completely made over to the Brewers? The shops, as I understand, were given over with restrictive covenant, and at least one has been sold on by the Brewers for another use. Not sure what the legal situation is here, whether the shops revert to SPCK if the covenant has been transgressed.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
How long has Durham Cathedral bookshop got?
...and then there was one...
It sounds like the bookshop formerly known as SPCK Chichester is now closed, which leaves only Durham still under the control of the Brewer brothers. Durham Cathedral have already given them notice to quit - by April next year - but the Charity Commissioners may have other views.
If Chichester has been closed because the CC's deem it to be an asset of the former 'Society of St. Stephen the Great' charity, and therefore part of the tribunal settlement with former staff, then logic suggests that they do the same with Durham. Every other remaining shop in the former SPCK chain is already under Charity Commissioners control.
If you're planning to buy anything from Durham, then you might want to get a move on. The Cathedral want to re-open the shop after they've evicted the Brewers, but I can't see the Commissioners waiting until April 2010. Former staff have been promised full payment of their tribunal settlement within 3 months, so I guess the CC's will be looking to identify assets during that time frame.
And that will be that: the end of the SPCK bookshop chain in its final incarnation. Several former shops have reopened under new management, and places like Durham will probably be viable under proper management, but there's wider issues in Christian bookselling, and this isn't exactly the best time to be starting up a new shop.
Still a stack of ongoing issues:
- if SPCK passed on the shops to the Brewers under a covenant stating that they should continue to operate as Christian bookshops, does that still stand now the Charity Commissioners have taken possession?
- if so, will we have a government agency running a chain of Christian bookshops? (!!??!)
- SPCK themselves have been very quiet for much of the last 2 years, possibly for legal reasons. But having made the decision to hand the bookshops over to Mark and Phil Brewer, there has to be some kind of review of that decision, and some learning of lessons.
- there are other untraced monies, like pension contributions.
- at what point will Phil and Mark Brewer be brought to justice, rather than simply be forced by the courts to cough up what they already owe?
and so on.... please pray for all the folk caught up in this, it's deeply sad, and bookshop staff are caught in an incredibly difficult position.
It sounds like the bookshop formerly known as SPCK Chichester is now closed, which leaves only Durham still under the control of the Brewer brothers. Durham Cathedral have already given them notice to quit - by April next year - but the Charity Commissioners may have other views.
If Chichester has been closed because the CC's deem it to be an asset of the former 'Society of St. Stephen the Great' charity, and therefore part of the tribunal settlement with former staff, then logic suggests that they do the same with Durham. Every other remaining shop in the former SPCK chain is already under Charity Commissioners control.
If you're planning to buy anything from Durham, then you might want to get a move on. The Cathedral want to re-open the shop after they've evicted the Brewers, but I can't see the Commissioners waiting until April 2010. Former staff have been promised full payment of their tribunal settlement within 3 months, so I guess the CC's will be looking to identify assets during that time frame.
And that will be that: the end of the SPCK bookshop chain in its final incarnation. Several former shops have reopened under new management, and places like Durham will probably be viable under proper management, but there's wider issues in Christian bookselling, and this isn't exactly the best time to be starting up a new shop.
Still a stack of ongoing issues:
- if SPCK passed on the shops to the Brewers under a covenant stating that they should continue to operate as Christian bookshops, does that still stand now the Charity Commissioners have taken possession?
- if so, will we have a government agency running a chain of Christian bookshops? (!!??!)
- SPCK themselves have been very quiet for much of the last 2 years, possibly for legal reasons. But having made the decision to hand the bookshops over to Mark and Phil Brewer, there has to be some kind of review of that decision, and some learning of lessons.
- there are other untraced monies, like pension contributions.
- at what point will Phil and Mark Brewer be brought to justice, rather than simply be forced by the courts to cough up what they already owe?
and so on.... please pray for all the folk caught up in this, it's deeply sad, and bookshop staff are caught in an incredibly difficult position.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Greenbelt: possible SPCK-related meetup?
Planning to head to Greenbelt on Saturday on a day ticket, to give the kids a taste of it, and catch up with some family who'll be there. Extra bonus to discover that church leaders go for half price. Last visit was about 8-9 years ago, just after it moved to Cheltenham. Is the Tiny Tea Tent still operational? Is Griff Pilchard still around? Is anyone else going?
If you've been following the SPCK saga and fancy a get together at GB to toast the health of Mark Brewer (or maybe someone else), then drop a comment or a tweet (@davidmkeen), and we might try to 'organise' something for the Saturday. It would be great to meet some of the folks I've got to know online over the last 12 months. 3pm on Saturday in the beer tent? Not that I have any idea where it is, or whether the beer's any good........
For other onliners, there's going to be a 'tweet-up' on Saturday morning in the Arena (10.30am). It will be really interesting to see what kind of social interaction happens between people who've only previously heard of each other on Twitter. Will they only communicate in short sentences? Or just stand around texting each other?
If you've been following the SPCK saga and fancy a get together at GB to toast the health of Mark Brewer (or maybe someone else), then drop a comment or a tweet (@davidmkeen), and we might try to 'organise' something for the Saturday. It would be great to meet some of the folks I've got to know online over the last 12 months. 3pm on Saturday in the beer tent? Not that I have any idea where it is, or whether the beer's any good........
For other onliners, there's going to be a 'tweet-up' on Saturday morning in the Arena (10.30am). It will be really interesting to see what kind of social interaction happens between people who've only previously heard of each other on Twitter. Will they only communicate in short sentences? Or just stand around texting each other?
Friday, August 21, 2009
the USDAW settlement on SPCK - blog roundup
I should go away more often. It's great that my first post back from holiday should be about a significant step forward in the grim soap opera that has been the moral and financial decimation of the former SPCK bookshops by their new Texan owners. Since the Charity Commissioners stepped in and took over the Society of St. Stephen the Great affairs, there at last appears to be progress.
The full USDAW statement, issued on Wednesday, is here, with a timeline of events since the Brewers took over. It makes it clear that the Brewers broke the law here in the UK. That makes 2 countries where 'lawyer' Mark Brewer has fallen foul of the legal system. These A level qualifications ain't what they used to be.
It's worth noting that the full settlement will come through depending on 'sale of assets' belonging to the charity. If you happen to be near Chichester or Durham bookshop and have a decent camera, kindly pop in and take a photo of each of the bookshelf units, so that we can be clear what stock is currently there.
The story is picked up by the Employment Intelligence blog, Matt Wardman has a detailed piece, and Lanky Anglican and Clayboy also take note of yesterdays BBC coverage. It's also in the Lincolnshire Echo.
Via the many comments at Phil Grooms blog, long-time campaigner and former SPCK employee Phelim Macintyre notes the Church Times report, complete with amusing photo/caption. 'It is unclear who is responsible' - I can think of several dozen people with a motive..... Don't know if it's just me, or is the CT report a bit bolder in its highlighting of Brewer misdemeanours than a few months ago?
Asingleblog and SPCKwatch also continue to focus on this story. There's still plenty to do, including recovering those assets, finding lost pension payments, sorting out unpaid creditors, and making sure that Phil Brewers personal filing for bankruptcy (if that's what it is) doesn't enable him to evade his obligations. We're not there yet, but hopefully the Charity Commissioners now have the bit between their teeth, and can get to grips with the rest of this mess.
The full USDAW statement, issued on Wednesday, is here, with a timeline of events since the Brewers took over. It makes it clear that the Brewers broke the law here in the UK. That makes 2 countries where 'lawyer' Mark Brewer has fallen foul of the legal system. These A level qualifications ain't what they used to be.
It's worth noting that the full settlement will come through depending on 'sale of assets' belonging to the charity. If you happen to be near Chichester or Durham bookshop and have a decent camera, kindly pop in and take a photo of each of the bookshelf units, so that we can be clear what stock is currently there.
The story is picked up by the Employment Intelligence blog, Matt Wardman has a detailed piece, and Lanky Anglican and Clayboy also take note of yesterdays BBC coverage. It's also in the Lincolnshire Echo.
Via the many comments at Phil Grooms blog, long-time campaigner and former SPCK employee Phelim Macintyre notes the Church Times report, complete with amusing photo/caption. 'It is unclear who is responsible' - I can think of several dozen people with a motive..... Don't know if it's just me, or is the CT report a bit bolder in its highlighting of Brewer misdemeanours than a few months ago?
Asingleblog and SPCKwatch also continue to focus on this story. There's still plenty to do, including recovering those assets, finding lost pension payments, sorting out unpaid creditors, and making sure that Phil Brewers personal filing for bankruptcy (if that's what it is) doesn't enable him to evade his obligations. We're not there yet, but hopefully the Charity Commissioners now have the bit between their teeth, and can get to grips with the rest of this mess.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Settlement for former SPCK workers, BBC Coverage, and another Brewer 'bankruptcy'
The BBC is reporting the settlement just agreed with former SPCK bookshops workers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8210573.stm
After the Charity Comissioners took over the franchise from the Society of St. Stephen the Great, an out of court settlement for 32 former workers has been quickly agreed through USDAW, good news.
more details on the SPCK/SSG blog, where it also emerges that Phil Brewer, one of the infamous Brewer brothers, is filing for bankruptcy. Haven't we seen this tactic before, as a Brewer stock in trade for evading financial obligations?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8210573.stm
After the Charity Comissioners took over the franchise from the Society of St. Stephen the Great, an out of court settlement for 32 former workers has been quickly agreed through USDAW, good news.
more details on the SPCK/SSG blog, where it also emerges that Phil Brewer, one of the infamous Brewer brothers, is filing for bankruptcy. Haven't we seen this tactic before, as a Brewer stock in trade for evading financial obligations?
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
We Still Support Dave Walker
It's a year to the day since Dave Walker was coerced into taking down his 'Save the SPCK' posts from the Cartoon Blog. Phil Groom, who was also threatened with legal action by the same people, tells his story here. The following was sent to all 490-ish members of the 'We Support Dave Walker' Facebook group this week:
Dear all,
This Wednesday, 22nd July, will be 1 year to the day since Dave Walker and Phil Groom both recieved their 'Cease and Desist' legal threats from Mark Brewer.
An awful lot has happened during that time, not least of which has been the support of hundreds of you for Dave, former SPCK bookshop staff, and others who have suffered at the hands of the Brewers.
The good news is that plenty has been achieved.
- Firstly, Mark Brewer failed to get his St. Stephen the Great charity declared bankrupt in the US, a court case in which Dave's posts were cited as evidence.
- In April this yearthe UK Charity Commissioners took over the running of the St. Stephen the Great charity, after a formal investigation.
- Even though the Brewers had moved all the bookshops into a new organisation (ENC Shop Management) the CC's are now taking possession of these shops as St. Stephen assets.
- 30 former staff, whose tribunal against SSG was being heard earlier this year, will now have their cases settled by the Charity Commissioners.
- In the meantime Durham Cathedral has (at last) served notice on the Brewers tenancy of the cathedral shop. As you may know, though the SPCK posts remain absent from the Cartoon Blog (see them in full at http://opendebatenotlibelthreats.blogspot.com/), Dave has mentioned the saga a couple of times on his Church Times blog.
At no point have any of Mark Brewers threats been acted upon. Instead it's Mr Brewer himself who has gone very quiet.
Thankyou again for your support of Dave, and for those of you who have blogged, commented and emailed in support. We are maybe at the beginning of the end - both the end of SSG's dismal foray into UK bookselling, and the end of the bookshop chain themselves. Any further developments will be reported at http://spckssg.wordpress.com/
Your fellow supporter
David Keen
Dear all,
This Wednesday, 22nd July, will be 1 year to the day since Dave Walker and Phil Groom both recieved their 'Cease and Desist' legal threats from Mark Brewer.
An awful lot has happened during that time, not least of which has been the support of hundreds of you for Dave, former SPCK bookshop staff, and others who have suffered at the hands of the Brewers.
The good news is that plenty has been achieved.
- Firstly, Mark Brewer failed to get his St. Stephen the Great charity declared bankrupt in the US, a court case in which Dave's posts were cited as evidence.
- In April this yearthe UK Charity Commissioners took over the running of the St. Stephen the Great charity, after a formal investigation.
- Even though the Brewers had moved all the bookshops into a new organisation (ENC Shop Management) the CC's are now taking possession of these shops as St. Stephen assets.
- 30 former staff, whose tribunal against SSG was being heard earlier this year, will now have their cases settled by the Charity Commissioners.
- In the meantime Durham Cathedral has (at last) served notice on the Brewers tenancy of the cathedral shop. As you may know, though the SPCK posts remain absent from the Cartoon Blog (see them in full at http://opendebatenotlibelthreats.blogspot.com/), Dave has mentioned the saga a couple of times on his Church Times blog.
At no point have any of Mark Brewers threats been acted upon. Instead it's Mr Brewer himself who has gone very quiet.
Thankyou again for your support of Dave, and for those of you who have blogged, commented and emailed in support. We are maybe at the beginning of the end - both the end of SSG's dismal foray into UK bookselling, and the end of the bookshop chain themselves. Any further developments will be reported at http://spckssg.wordpress.com/
Your fellow supporter
David Keen
Monday, July 20, 2009
Who's Ceased and Desisted Now? The Dave Walker/SPCK Fiasco, 1 Year On
Exactly a year ago on Wednesday, I posted this:
Up to that point, I'd noticed that Dave kept going on about SPCK bookshops on his Cartoon Blog, but hadn't followed it very closely. But us bloggers are a protective lot, and within days of the new SPCK owners coming after one of our own, dozens of people had blogged in support. Phil Groom, who recieved similar threats on the same day, refused to comply, and his SPCK/SSG News Notes and Info has been an invaluable focus for online campaigning. Dave, in the midst of packing for the Lambeth conference, took down his blog posts, but you can find them all here.
One year later, the boot is now on the other foot. Earlier this year the Charity Commissioners investigated the SSG charity, found it wanting, and took it over. The SSG owners, Mark and Phil Brewer, had suddenly transferred the shops out of SSG ownership in June 2008 to a new body, ENC Shop Management, but the Commissioners have refused to be fooled and changed the locks on (we think) all but 2 of these shops.
We are very nearly at the end of this sorry saga, but there are still plenty of debts to be settled, and aggrieved former staff and suppliers who have been unpaid, underpaid, defrauded and otherwise maltreated by the Brewers.
It is now Mark Brewer who has gone silent. Nothing has been heard from him for months, pretty much since he failed to get SSG declared bankrupt in the US and was given a hefty slap on the wrist for wasting court time.
So here is my Cease and Desist. Mark Brewer, you should Cease and Desist hiding. Stand up like a man, face up to the people who have suffered because of you, pay them what you owe, and own up to what you did. If you do not comply, we will not bully you or pursue any legal action against you, because we're not like you. But you will have to stand before the ultimate Judge and account for your words and your deeds, and He may be even tougher on you than the bankruptcy courts of Texas.
Dave Walker, who has been flying the flag for the beleagured SPCK bookshop chain, has been threatened with libel by the St. Stephen the Great Charitable Trust (SSG), who took over the chain last year. Since then, most (if not all) of the SPCK bookshops have closed, and there have been various questions about management practices. One former bookshop manager, Steve Jeynes, tragically took his own life just a few weeks ago.
Dave has been keeping a close eye on all of this, and providing a forum for people to share news about the chain. He has been told he'll be sued unless all SPCK posts are removed from his website.If you want to contact Dave to support him, or offer money so that the action can be fought (don't let the bullies win!), then his contact details are here. If you're anywhere near the Lambeth conference, go to Dave's tent and give him your support.
Some of the story is at Christian Bookshop News. Phil Groom has also kept a blog here dedicated to the SPCK/SSG developments. However, as Phil is on holiday, even if he's been threatened by the Brewers (the family who are SSG), he's too busy getting a tan to do anything about it.
Up to that point, I'd noticed that Dave kept going on about SPCK bookshops on his Cartoon Blog, but hadn't followed it very closely. But us bloggers are a protective lot, and within days of the new SPCK owners coming after one of our own, dozens of people had blogged in support. Phil Groom, who recieved similar threats on the same day, refused to comply, and his SPCK/SSG News Notes and Info has been an invaluable focus for online campaigning. Dave, in the midst of packing for the Lambeth conference, took down his blog posts, but you can find them all here.
One year later, the boot is now on the other foot. Earlier this year the Charity Commissioners investigated the SSG charity, found it wanting, and took it over. The SSG owners, Mark and Phil Brewer, had suddenly transferred the shops out of SSG ownership in June 2008 to a new body, ENC Shop Management, but the Commissioners have refused to be fooled and changed the locks on (we think) all but 2 of these shops.
We are very nearly at the end of this sorry saga, but there are still plenty of debts to be settled, and aggrieved former staff and suppliers who have been unpaid, underpaid, defrauded and otherwise maltreated by the Brewers.
It is now Mark Brewer who has gone silent. Nothing has been heard from him for months, pretty much since he failed to get SSG declared bankrupt in the US and was given a hefty slap on the wrist for wasting court time.
So here is my Cease and Desist. Mark Brewer, you should Cease and Desist hiding. Stand up like a man, face up to the people who have suffered because of you, pay them what you owe, and own up to what you did. If you do not comply, we will not bully you or pursue any legal action against you, because we're not like you. But you will have to stand before the ultimate Judge and account for your words and your deeds, and He may be even tougher on you than the bankruptcy courts of Texas.
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Charity Commissioners clear the SPCK Smokescreen
Phil Groom has just published an official Charity Commissioners notice, now appearing on the doors of former SPCK bookshops around the country.
The CC are acting to recover the assets of the St. Stephen the Great Trust (SSG), an 'Orthodox' charity which took the bookshops over from SPCK a few years back. To escape having to pay suppliers and former staff, the SSG owners (Mark and Phil Brewer) moved all the shops overnight in June 2008 to ENC Shop Management, a limited company. They then tried to get SSG declared bankrupt in the USA - even though it was a UK charity - and were quite rightly thrown out of the courtroom. The Charity Commissioners moved in on SSG at the end of April this year after a formal investigation.
The CC have clearly seen through the Brewers fancy footwork, and so the ENC shops seem to have been seized as SSG assets. That just leaves, I think, Durham and Chichester shops, which are both on church premises and are operated by their own shop management companies, set up at the same time as ENC. Though they recently gave 12 months notice of eviction to the Brewers, it would be hugely embarassing for Durham Cathedral to have the CC changing the locks within their own precincts.
There is a deafening silence at the moment from the Brewers, who seem to have stopped throwing around legal threats (in 11 days it's a year since they jumped on Dave Walker, something which will be marked on this site).
The CC are acting to recover the assets of the St. Stephen the Great Trust (SSG), an 'Orthodox' charity which took the bookshops over from SPCK a few years back. To escape having to pay suppliers and former staff, the SSG owners (Mark and Phil Brewer) moved all the shops overnight in June 2008 to ENC Shop Management, a limited company. They then tried to get SSG declared bankrupt in the USA - even though it was a UK charity - and were quite rightly thrown out of the courtroom. The Charity Commissioners moved in on SSG at the end of April this year after a formal investigation.
The CC have clearly seen through the Brewers fancy footwork, and so the ENC shops seem to have been seized as SSG assets. That just leaves, I think, Durham and Chichester shops, which are both on church premises and are operated by their own shop management companies, set up at the same time as ENC. Though they recently gave 12 months notice of eviction to the Brewers, it would be hugely embarassing for Durham Cathedral to have the CC changing the locks within their own precincts.
There is a deafening silence at the moment from the Brewers, who seem to have stopped throwing around legal threats (in 11 days it's a year since they jumped on Dave Walker, something which will be marked on this site).
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Brewers Left With No Room for Manoevre
Having formerly been a vicar in Darlington, one of my many contacts in the North-East pointed me to this photo, which is, allegedly, Phil Brewers car (brother of Mark Brewer, and, until recently, co-owner of the Society of Stephen the Great 'charity'), parked near a landmark building somewhere in the North-East of England. Maybe he forgot to pay for the parking place, which would be true to form, as the Brewers have also forgotten to pay wages, pension contributions, agency staff, and pretty much anything else they could get away with. Allegedly.I could have told him Durham was hot on parking round the Cathedral, but his brother never replied to our letters....
If, as is suspected, the car belongs to SSG, then it's an asset which now belongs to the Charity Commissioners. I suggest with all the storms recently they put it into storage before it gets struck by lightening.
Caption competition now open in the comments.
For the latest on the former SPCK bookshops, go here. In 3 weeks time it will be a year since the Brewers tried to silence Dave Walker. No Mark, we've not forgotten, and we'll keep you and everyone else aware of your sins until you repent of them.
Friday, June 05, 2009
J. Mark Brewer down to last 2 Barrels as shops close
Judging by comments posted in the last 24 hours on the SPCK/SSG blog, all the shops run by Mark Brewers ENC Management company (which was effectively St. Stephen the Great Trust by another name) have closed, leaving the two run by independent shop management companies - Durham and Chichester.
It's not clear whether Brewer has cut and run, or whether the Charity Commissioners have stepped in to claim the assets which properly belong to SSG, and out of which its many outstanding debts need to be paid.
It's not clear whether Brewer has cut and run, or whether the Charity Commissioners have stepped in to claim the assets which properly belong to SSG, and out of which its many outstanding debts need to be paid.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Nominate the SPCK/SSG Campaign for the Christian Web Awards
The 'Bloggies' - Christian Web and New Media awards, are now open for nominations. I've taken the liberty of nominating Phil Grooms blog for 'best use of new media in a Christian campaign'.
Of course, there's more to the SPCK/SSG campaign than Phil's blog, though that's very much the hub of it. Many of us who are involved have never met face to face, but through blogs, email, Facebook, online petitions, Google Groups, and even Twitter we've built a network of supporters from several countries, and in the last 2 weeks there has been a mini-avalanche of remarkable results from the pressure that the campaign has brought to bear:
- Durham Cathedral have served notice on the Brewers to leave the premises
- The Charity Commissioners have taken control of the assets of the Society of St. Stephen the Great
- as a result of which an out of court settlement with all the unfairly dismissed staff may be possible without all the wasted time and money of legal proceedings
- and Dave Walker is back to blogging about the SPCK story. Bet the Brewers wish now they'd never tried to shut him up in the first place, a tactic which backfired spectacularly.
I have a slight quibble about the Bloggies, in that anyone using new media well will, quite probably, be using more than one website to do it. The SPCK campaign - which effectively began as a recurring theme on Dave Walkers cartoon blog, has diversified into several 'new media' as it's evolved. Any campaign simply using one platform probably shouldn't get past first base!
If you'd like to nominate the SPCK/SSG campaign too, please do! Here's what I put in the 'additional information' box:
A campaign to scrutinise and hold to account the new owners of SPCK bookshops, which recently resulted in decisive action by both the Charity Commissioners and Durham Cathedral. The campaign provides a discussion space, as well as a focus for scrutiny and lobbying.
Use of new media includes
- several blogs, of which the named blog is the key one. With the censorship of Dave Walkers blog, it's been important to have several blogs reporting the story, so that 'divide and rule' through legal threats won't work.
- online petitions
- Facebook: there are two related groups on Facebook, which give the campaign an online mailing list of around 600 people, as well as a forum for spreading information.
- Google groups, as a forum for the leaders of the campaign to communicate and share information.
- more recently, Twitter.
Many of those involved in the campaign haven't met face to face, but new media has enabled us to network, co-ordinate our efforts, and spread information to a wide group of people.
Of course, there's more to the SPCK/SSG campaign than Phil's blog, though that's very much the hub of it. Many of us who are involved have never met face to face, but through blogs, email, Facebook, online petitions, Google Groups, and even Twitter we've built a network of supporters from several countries, and in the last 2 weeks there has been a mini-avalanche of remarkable results from the pressure that the campaign has brought to bear:
- Durham Cathedral have served notice on the Brewers to leave the premises
- The Charity Commissioners have taken control of the assets of the Society of St. Stephen the Great
- as a result of which an out of court settlement with all the unfairly dismissed staff may be possible without all the wasted time and money of legal proceedings
- and Dave Walker is back to blogging about the SPCK story. Bet the Brewers wish now they'd never tried to shut him up in the first place, a tactic which backfired spectacularly.
I have a slight quibble about the Bloggies, in that anyone using new media well will, quite probably, be using more than one website to do it. The SPCK campaign - which effectively began as a recurring theme on Dave Walkers cartoon blog, has diversified into several 'new media' as it's evolved. Any campaign simply using one platform probably shouldn't get past first base!
If you'd like to nominate the SPCK/SSG campaign too, please do! Here's what I put in the 'additional information' box:
A campaign to scrutinise and hold to account the new owners of SPCK bookshops, which recently resulted in decisive action by both the Charity Commissioners and Durham Cathedral. The campaign provides a discussion space, as well as a focus for scrutiny and lobbying.
Use of new media includes
- several blogs, of which the named blog is the key one. With the censorship of Dave Walkers blog, it's been important to have several blogs reporting the story, so that 'divide and rule' through legal threats won't work.
- online petitions
- Facebook: there are two related groups on Facebook, which give the campaign an online mailing list of around 600 people, as well as a forum for spreading information.
- Google groups, as a forum for the leaders of the campaign to communicate and share information.
- more recently, Twitter.
Many of those involved in the campaign haven't met face to face, but new media has enabled us to network, co-ordinate our efforts, and spread information to a wide group of people.
Monday, May 11, 2009
The bookshops formerly known as SPCK: Judgement Day Part 1
Update 4pm: there are hints in the comments at Phil Grooms blog of an out of court settlement. Have a look over there for the latest.
Even more of an update 7.45pm: looks like there is an out of court settlement agreed with the Charity Commission manager and the union. The tribunal has therefore been cancelled. Matt Wardman has the full details so far. Great news.
There's been plenty going on with the former SPCK bookshops over the last week, as employment tribunals begin today in Bury St. Edmunds to try to rule on the unfair dismissal of 30 former staff members. It says a lot about the serpentine management of the Society of St. Stephen the Great/ENC management Ltd. that the tribunals will be taking 3 days "to consider who the employer of the claimants was at the time they were dismissed" (quote from USDAW press release). If it takes 3 days simply to work that out, then we are clearly in for the long haul here.
The Charity Commissioners have thrown out Mark Brewer and his family members who acted as trusteeds of SSG, following an investigation into the charity, and replaced them on 28th April with their own appointees as 'interim manager'. The interim manager (job explained here) has, in turn, appointed solicitors to represent SSG at the tribunals. With just a few days notice for this, I feel slightly sorry for the poor souls who have to defend the indefensible at the tribunal today.
With the ejection of the Brewers from Durham Cathedral, and Dave Walkers first blogging on the SPCK story since Mark Brewer tried to shut him up with legal threats last summer, it's been quite a lively week on this campaign, after months of silence. Moral of the story: don't quit.
more on this:
Bishop Alan
SPCK/SSG News Notes and Info
Wannabepriest, who turns out to be a prophet too.
Even more of an update 7.45pm: looks like there is an out of court settlement agreed with the Charity Commission manager and the union. The tribunal has therefore been cancelled. Matt Wardman has the full details so far. Great news.
There's been plenty going on with the former SPCK bookshops over the last week, as employment tribunals begin today in Bury St. Edmunds to try to rule on the unfair dismissal of 30 former staff members. It says a lot about the serpentine management of the Society of St. Stephen the Great/ENC management Ltd. that the tribunals will be taking 3 days "to consider who the employer of the claimants was at the time they were dismissed" (quote from USDAW press release). If it takes 3 days simply to work that out, then we are clearly in for the long haul here.
The Charity Commissioners have thrown out Mark Brewer and his family members who acted as trusteeds of SSG, following an investigation into the charity, and replaced them on 28th April with their own appointees as 'interim manager'. The interim manager (job explained here) has, in turn, appointed solicitors to represent SSG at the tribunals. With just a few days notice for this, I feel slightly sorry for the poor souls who have to defend the indefensible at the tribunal today.
With the ejection of the Brewers from Durham Cathedral, and Dave Walkers first blogging on the SPCK story since Mark Brewer tried to shut him up with legal threats last summer, it's been quite a lively week on this campaign, after months of silence. Moral of the story: don't quit.
Bishop Alan
SPCK/SSG News Notes and Info
Wannabepriest, who turns out to be a prophet too.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Dave Walker breaks silence on SPCK
Woohoo! Well done Dave. This was posted on his church times blog earlier. Both Dave posting it - after the new SPCK owns tried to bash him into silence with legal threats - and the story itself are newsworthy:
The Charity Commission has appointed an interim manager to manage St Stephen the Great (SSG), the charity running the former SPCK bookshops. The Saint Stephen the Great page on the Charity Commission website shows this latest status, and there has been a statement from USDAW about this and the tribunal hearings for former employees:
St. Stephen the Great tribunal
The long-awaited first stage of the St. Stephen the Great tribunal is due to take place next week in Bury St. Edmunds, commencing Monday 11 May, and is scheduled to run for three days. This is a preliminary hearing to consider who the employer of the claimants was at the time they were dismissed (the charitable trust, or one of the two limited companies).
Since the date was arranged, the Charity Commission has been conducting an investigation into how the charitable trust has been run and has now used its powers under the Charities Act to intervene and appoint an interim manager to manage the affairs of the charity (in place of the previous trustees, who were the American-based Mark Brewer and other members of his family). The interim manager has, in turn, appointed new solicitors to preserve the assets of the charity and contest the legal claims of the Usdaw members.These new solicitors asked the tribunal to postpone the hearing in order to allow extra time for them to get up to speed with the cases. But Usdaw objected, as our members had been waiting so long for their cases to be heard. The hearing will now commence on the Monday morning with legal arguments for and against the granting of a postponement of the tribunal.
Usdaw is hoping that the court will consider the best interests of the claimants, who have waited patiently for justice, three of whom will be travelling to Bury St. Edmunds to appear as test case witnesses on behalf of all those dismissed, and allow the case to continue on the day.
Last week Durham Cathedral announced that it had served notice on 'the current owners and occupiers' of the cathedral shop - ie SSG. See Statement by the Chapter of Durham Cathedral, and in the Northern Echo, Storm rages over cathedral shop.
A group of bloggers have been posting about this situation over the last few months (years in fact) - see SPCK/SSG: News, Notes & Info for background information and ongoing updates
More over the weekend - today is supposed to be my day off - but I'm delighted that Dave feels able to post about the former SPCK bookshops again, and that things are moving forward for those who have suffered at the hands of the new owners.
The Charity Commission has appointed an interim manager to manage St Stephen the Great (SSG), the charity running the former SPCK bookshops. The Saint Stephen the Great page on the Charity Commission website shows this latest status, and there has been a statement from USDAW about this and the tribunal hearings for former employees:
St. Stephen the Great tribunal
The long-awaited first stage of the St. Stephen the Great tribunal is due to take place next week in Bury St. Edmunds, commencing Monday 11 May, and is scheduled to run for three days. This is a preliminary hearing to consider who the employer of the claimants was at the time they were dismissed (the charitable trust, or one of the two limited companies).
Since the date was arranged, the Charity Commission has been conducting an investigation into how the charitable trust has been run and has now used its powers under the Charities Act to intervene and appoint an interim manager to manage the affairs of the charity (in place of the previous trustees, who were the American-based Mark Brewer and other members of his family). The interim manager has, in turn, appointed new solicitors to preserve the assets of the charity and contest the legal claims of the Usdaw members.These new solicitors asked the tribunal to postpone the hearing in order to allow extra time for them to get up to speed with the cases. But Usdaw objected, as our members had been waiting so long for their cases to be heard. The hearing will now commence on the Monday morning with legal arguments for and against the granting of a postponement of the tribunal.
Usdaw is hoping that the court will consider the best interests of the claimants, who have waited patiently for justice, three of whom will be travelling to Bury St. Edmunds to appear as test case witnesses on behalf of all those dismissed, and allow the case to continue on the day.
Last week Durham Cathedral announced that it had served notice on 'the current owners and occupiers' of the cathedral shop - ie SSG. See Statement by the Chapter of Durham Cathedral, and in the Northern Echo, Storm rages over cathedral shop.
A group of bloggers have been posting about this situation over the last few months (years in fact) - see SPCK/SSG: News, Notes & Info for background information and ongoing updates
More over the weekend - today is supposed to be my day off - but I'm delighted that Dave feels able to post about the former SPCK bookshops again, and that things are moving forward for those who have suffered at the hands of the new owners.
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Press statement in response to Durham Cathedral eviction of the Brewers
The following statement was issued yesterday by a group (which I'm part of) which keeps an eye on the former SPCK bookshop chain, and the questionable management practices of J Mark Brewer and Phil Brewer, the owners.
We welcome the statement today from the Dean and Chapter of Durham Cathedral that notice has been served on the current operators and occupiers of Durham Cathedral Shop requiring them to vacate the premises on 30th April 2010. Bearing in mind that a petiton of almost 400 signatures was submitted to the Dean and Chapter in Autumn 2008, we would, have preferred action to have been taken far sooner.
The Durham Cathedral Bookshop has been the flagship shop in the chain, supplying much of the turnover and most of the profit, which has enabled the whole chain to stay afloat for the last three years.
Therefore this action - subject to any legal challenges or actions issued by J Mark and Phil Brewer through their management company - will, we hope, be the beginning of the end of the saga of serious mismanagement of the SPCK Bookshop chain from October 2006 to the present.
We are concerned that the time window until April 2010 will give the Brewers an opportunity to manipulate the business further for their personal benefit.
The Durham Shop continues to use the SPCK logo and materials, permission for which were withdrawn a long time ago, to trade with incorrect Employers' Liability Insurance, and to ignore obligations in the shop lease to stock a wide range of books. It has been an stain on the reputation of Durham Cathedral.
We have documented how sums in excess of $700,000 had been removed from the finances of the Durham Cathedral Bookshop under questionable circumstances to other businesses and charities controlled by the Brewers. Other monies from the Bookshop Chain had been spent in unusual ways for a charity, including the maintenance of an aeroplane owned by Phil Brewer, who was responsible for management of the Durham Cathedral Shop.
A large number of questions remain open for the former-SPCK bookshop chain:
* Instruction of staff - including staff at Durham - to lie to suppliers.
* Violations of the lease at Durham.
* The transfer - mentioned above - of at least $700,000 of assets out of the Durham shop.
* More than 30 employment tribunal claims.
* An attempt to take the organisation into Bankruptcy in the USA, which was "dismissed with prejudice", and the $1.6m which was declared as owing to suppliers. Significant property assets, viz. Freehold Bookshops, were not declared to the Bankruptcy Court, despite declarations made by J Mark Brewer under oath. To date the suppliers remain unpaid.
* Unpaid pensions and National Insurance contributions for staff,
* Bullying of staff.
Some of these issues, and others, require proper investigation by the authorities, resolution, and action where necessary.
Former SPCK staff have shown considerable success in reopening independent bookshops in towns where former-SPCK shops have closed. These locations include Lincoln, Cardiff and Norwich. As the debacle comes to an end, we look forward to this pattern continuing.
Finally, we would quote a comment left by Bishop Alan Wilson on our News Blog this week:
"The whole Brewer thing has been a learning experience for us all about the dangers in selling off bits of the family silver without checking that the people to whom it goes have the character or competence to handle it. These things call for light, not a conspiracy of darkness and silence".
For more information visit: http://spckssg.wordpress.com/
Matt Wardman
Phil Groom
There is more on the Wardman Wire, which seems to be a bit slow loading at the moment.
We welcome the statement today from the Dean and Chapter of Durham Cathedral that notice has been served on the current operators and occupiers of Durham Cathedral Shop requiring them to vacate the premises on 30th April 2010. Bearing in mind that a petiton of almost 400 signatures was submitted to the Dean and Chapter in Autumn 2008, we would, have preferred action to have been taken far sooner.
The Durham Cathedral Bookshop has been the flagship shop in the chain, supplying much of the turnover and most of the profit, which has enabled the whole chain to stay afloat for the last three years.
Therefore this action - subject to any legal challenges or actions issued by J Mark and Phil Brewer through their management company - will, we hope, be the beginning of the end of the saga of serious mismanagement of the SPCK Bookshop chain from October 2006 to the present.
We are concerned that the time window until April 2010 will give the Brewers an opportunity to manipulate the business further for their personal benefit.
The Durham Shop continues to use the SPCK logo and materials, permission for which were withdrawn a long time ago, to trade with incorrect Employers' Liability Insurance, and to ignore obligations in the shop lease to stock a wide range of books. It has been an stain on the reputation of Durham Cathedral.
We have documented how sums in excess of $700,000 had been removed from the finances of the Durham Cathedral Bookshop under questionable circumstances to other businesses and charities controlled by the Brewers. Other monies from the Bookshop Chain had been spent in unusual ways for a charity, including the maintenance of an aeroplane owned by Phil Brewer, who was responsible for management of the Durham Cathedral Shop.
A large number of questions remain open for the former-SPCK bookshop chain:
* Instruction of staff - including staff at Durham - to lie to suppliers.
* Violations of the lease at Durham.
* The transfer - mentioned above - of at least $700,000 of assets out of the Durham shop.
* More than 30 employment tribunal claims.
* An attempt to take the organisation into Bankruptcy in the USA, which was "dismissed with prejudice", and the $1.6m which was declared as owing to suppliers. Significant property assets, viz. Freehold Bookshops, were not declared to the Bankruptcy Court, despite declarations made by J Mark Brewer under oath. To date the suppliers remain unpaid.
* Unpaid pensions and National Insurance contributions for staff,
* Bullying of staff.
Some of these issues, and others, require proper investigation by the authorities, resolution, and action where necessary.
Former SPCK staff have shown considerable success in reopening independent bookshops in towns where former-SPCK shops have closed. These locations include Lincoln, Cardiff and Norwich. As the debacle comes to an end, we look forward to this pattern continuing.
Finally, we would quote a comment left by Bishop Alan Wilson on our News Blog this week:
"The whole Brewer thing has been a learning experience for us all about the dangers in selling off bits of the family silver without checking that the people to whom it goes have the character or competence to handle it. These things call for light, not a conspiracy of darkness and silence".
For more information visit: http://spckssg.wordpress.com/
Matt Wardman
Phil Groom
There is more on the Wardman Wire, which seems to be a bit slow loading at the moment.
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