Shoddy kitchens passed off as ‘last year’s B&Q’

BACK in the spotlight . . . Vance Miller

HUNDREDS of shoddy kitchens were passed off to unsuspecting members of the public as “last year’s B&Q” by an Oldham firm controlled by banned company director Vance Miller.

A Manchester Crown Court trial that began yesterday is expected to hear evidence from 341 customers allegedly duped into buying sub-standard kitchens made by Maple Industries and sold by a retail business using names including Manchester Kitchen Company and Simply Kitchens.

While different names were used for the manufacturing and retail parts of the business, it is alleged they were all different faces of the same firm, based at Maple Mill in Oldham, allegedly owned by Vance Miller.

Jonathan Sandiford, prosecuting, told the jury in a hearing expected to run into the new year, how the firm spent heavily on social media advertising and newspaper campaigns falsely claiming that they had B&Q stock. They also allegedly paid people to post fake internet reviews to counter bad ones.

Customers are said to have been promised that they could check all was well with the kitchen once it arrived. But the driver would leave soon after delivery, after which the company would allegedly make it impossible to get refunds.

Nicola Brodie (39), of Churchill Street, Rochdale; Richard Brundrett (41), of Peel Drive, Bacup; David Hourigan (41), of Ramsey Drive, Bacup; Matthew Leak (23), of Heald Close, Rochdale; Karen Stocks (43), of the Quadrant, Droylsden; and Martin Sersen (24), of Jacob Bright Mews, Rochdale, are all said to be involved in the retail business and deny charges including conspiracy to defraud between 2010 and 2015.

In emails between Vance Miller — who is not a defendant — and one of the accused, Richard Hourigan, Mr Miller is alleged to have described the products as “s*** kitchens”.

Opening the case, Mr Sandiford said: “However much people pay for their kitchen, they expect it to be up to standard. The prosecution says this case is all about promising people a lot and delivering very little.”

He said anyone who saw the firm’s website would be “forgiven for thinking they were getting a very high-quality product and service. Kitchens examined on behalf of the prosecution were not B&Q kitchens at all. They had been manufactured in China and elsewhere by Vance Miller and those acting on his behalf.”

Miller was disqualified from acting as a company director between 2005-2014, but Mr Sandiford said: “When you look at the emails between Vance Miller and those who stand in the dock it becomes apparent Mr Miller was in fact controlling, running every aspect, not only of Maple Industries, but also the retail side of the business selling kitchens in this country, to the public.”