Bordeaux Wine Trading Company future doubtful: updated April 30, 2008
Jim Budd
Wine merchant the Bordeaux Wine Trading Company is threatened with being struck off the companies register for failure to comply with UK company law.
The company's annual return has been overdue since 18 August 2007, and it has been without a company secretary since 13 April 2007.
BWTC recently moved from its trading premises, which is also its registered office, in Hertfordshire.
decanter.com understands BWTC has a new trading address in North London, but Companies House has not been notified of the change of address, which is required under UK company law.
No forwarding address had been left at the Hertfordshire premises though mail is being picked up, the manager of the business centre there told decanter.com.
In January Niklaus Cashman, the sole director said failure to file the annual return was 'down to a problem with the accountant' and the return would be filed soon. As of 25 March Companies House had not received the return. It has had no contact with BWTC since September 2007.
Cashman also gave assurances that 2006 en primeur monies had been passed on.
Unless Cashman complies with company law it is quite likely that BWTC Ltd will have been struck off before the 2006 en primeurs are due to be shipped.
The chances of creditors getting the majority of their money back from the collapse of Internet wine broker Uvine appear to be growing ever slimmer.
Marqem Ltd, which agreed with uvine's administrators to pay creditors 80% of what they were owed, are currently threatened with being struck off for non-compliance.
Marqem's annual return has been overdue since 27 June 2007, and its accounts should have been filed on 31 October 2007.
Its parent company BTP Ltd is in similar danger of being struck off through non-compliance: its return has been overdue since 19 September 2007 and the accounts since 31 October 2007.
uvine.com still claims that the 'Uvine Trading platform will be back online in November'. Creditors are due to receive their first tranche of payment from Marqem at the end of April.
Update: 30 April 2008
BWTC have now disappeared from their North London premises – leaving no forwarding address and under investigation by Hertfordshire police. Further details on http://www.investdrinks.org/claretweb
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