Deal or no deal - businessman waits (From Lancaster And Morecambe Citizen)

Deal or no deal - businessman waits

2:02pm Wednesday 7th June 2006

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A BUSINESSMAN has pulled out of a deal to sell £1 million worth of buildings to Lancaster City - because he lost faith in the man doing the deal.

Nick Daffern says he was called to a meeting at Giant Axe with Francis Mardale, who wanted the modular constructions as part of his planned redevelopment of the ground.

Mr Daffern, of Cheltenham-based Rapid Retail, who supply Premier League football clubs and Formula One racing circuits, was not surprised when he didn't hear back from Mr Mardale after describing his meeting as surreal'.

Says Mr Daffern: "We install temporary buildings at motor racing events and supply Premier League football teams with club shops and hospitality boxes.

"These are more than your average portable building and are quite expensive.

"So the first time Mr Mardale got in touch I had the choice of seeing Lancaster City or Sheffield United. It may not come as a surprise when I say I went to Sheffield United.

"But he was persistent and insistent that City wanted some of our buildings so I went along.

"I met this bloke called Charlie Moore, who was set behind a desk in a tiny office surrounded by paper work.

"He said he was going to be the new chairman then this scruffy geezer came in the room. He introduced himself as Francis Mardale and started telling me about his Chinese connections. It might have been more believable if he had been wearing a clean shirt and a tie."

Mr Daffern goes on: "He said he was related to the HSBC so I asked him if he knew the chairman and gave him a fictitious name. Mardale said he knew him.

"I played along with them and they said they wanted some of our boxes. They started off with five and then raised the order to about 20 there had been no planning or forethought from them.

"That was a £1 million order I said that if they intended the work to go through we would have to carry out a site survey and we needed £18,500 up front. That money never materialised.

"Mardale said he was trying to move it from his Geneva account.

"The order was never realistic, they used some strange language and terminology, they never asked about delivery, they never asked how, why or when."

Mr Daffern, who was speaking to Citizen from his holiday home, adds: "I walked out of the meeting, had a stroll around Lancaster and then got my train back to Cheltenham.

"I managed to work on the train both ways and I am not outraged by them because I am not that sort of guy. I find it very funny to be honest.

"The whole meeting reminded me of the film This Is Spinal Tap' it was all very surreal and because of that you just wonder if there is some frisson of truth, that this could really happen."

Despite repeated visits by the Citizen to Mr Mardale's address in Olive Road this week, there has been no answer.

And his mobile telephone number, given to the Citizen by Mr Mardale himself when he threatened us with legal action, was unavailable.

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