Vance Miller
Encyclopedia
Vance Miller is an entrepreneur
from Rochdale
, in North West England
. Miller, whose "business practices have attracted controversy", has been referred to in the media as The Kitchen Gangster.
of Maple Industries, and of Kitchens, which operate from Maple Mill
in the Hathershaw
area of Oldham
in Greater Manchester
.
In January 2010 Miller was cleared of defrauding customers in Oldham. Oldham Council's trading standards department faces a £5m bill after a judge at Manchester Crown Court dropped all charges against Vance Miller. The Ramsbottom businessman was cleared of conspiracy to commit fraud and making false representation. The judge who presided over the case against Miller heavily criticised Tony Allen, the head of Trading Standards of being an unreliable witness. - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8454361.stm - http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2804973/5m-kitchen-trial-collapses.html
Vance Miller was the Victim of a £4m Vendetta. Clearing Mr Miller of conspiracy to defraud customers, Judge Jonathan Foster QC told Manchester Crown Court: “Some may think that this trial has been a waste of time, money and emotional commitment. The decision to investigate was not based on any reliable material. There was no discernible increase in complaints. I am concerned there may have been other reasons for the decision to investigate. The investigation was flawed from the start by Tony Allen’s unsubstantiated belief that complaints were increasing and Vance Miller’s businesses should be closed down.” - http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/151442/The-victim-of-a-4m-vendetta
In December 2008, Miller was cleared of charges against relating to the quad bikes that he sold. The kitchen boss was cleared of nine counts after Oldham Council withdrew its case against him. Mr Miller, 42, from Rochdale, was acquitted on all counts http://menmedia.co.uk/oldhamadvertiser/news/s/1087168_vance_has_escape_on_quad_bike_charges
In 2007 Miller was featured in Real Business Magazine - http://www.vance-miller.co.uk/auxi/real-business.pdf
Vance Miller has been featured in two documentaries about him. One called Vance Miller - The Kitchen Gangster that aired on the BBC and another that aired on Channel 4 called Brits Get Rich in China - http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/may/29/tvandradio.comment
Miller has also had a book wrote about him entitled: Kitchen Gangster?: The Story of a Serial Entrepreneur - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kitchen-Gangster-Story-Serial-Entrepreneur/dp/0954401190
In November 1995, he was sentenced to 18 months on counts of kidnapping and affray following an altercation with his neighbours over a missing kitchen unit. In February 1999, he was jailed for 6 months having punched a female inspector in the face as she pursued a minor pollution complaint near his Birtle Mill, Bury business premises. In related incidents his company was fined £28,500 for health and safety breaches and he was convicted for damaging the car of a journalist.
In 2002 the Office of Fair Trading
instigated the ‘Stop Now’ order and he became the first person in Britain to be handed one after supplying a kitchen
which was not sold as advertised.
In June 2003, defending himself without lawyers, he was called “intelligent, cunning, manipulative but above all arrogant” by a Manchester judge who jailed him for nine months for contempt of court when he failed to improve operations at his Oldham-based company, Maple Industries. He was released 2 weeks later on the undertaking to employ business efficiency consultants.
Miller is currently banned from being the director of any company in the United Kingdom until 2014.
In 2006 his home in Ramsbottom
was attacked twice in arson attacks.
Despite appearing several times on the BBC
TV series Watchdog
and branded a rogue trader, his companies reputedly achieve an annual turnover of over £20million.
In July 2007, the magazine Real Business printed an article and interview with Vance Miller written by Charles Orton-Jones, covering his business history and current activities in some depth.
On 21 April 2009, Maple Mill was partially destroyed in a fire.
In 2010, Vance Miller was cleared of all 33 charges held against him as he took on Oldham Council single handedly in Court. Tony Allan (Head of Trading Standards) was suspended after a "flawed" case against Miller was thrown out of court.
and Trading Standards
raided two residential properties, one belonging to Mr Miller, as well as the company's Maple Mill offices and factory. As a result of the raids four people, including Miller, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud in what was one of Tradings Standards' biggest ever operations. The company was able to continue trading despite Trading Standards seizing property in a bid to pursue its case against the company.
On 21 February 2007, under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005
, Trading Standards
Officers in Oldham ordered Vance Miller, again trading from Maple Mill, to immediately withdraw four types of minibike
s from sale. The products failed national safety provisions.
On 28 May 2008, Vance Miller was issued a six month suspended sentence and a £90,000 fine by the Manchester
Crown Court
in relation to an alleged breach of the Stop Now legislation brought against him in 2003. The judge presiding over the case, however, has noted that "there was evidence of `a significant and continuing reduction in complaints' against Miller's business since the summer of 2007." The judge noted that since the Office of Fair Trading
was unable to provide any evidence of breaches since early 2006 then Miller was to be sentenced on the assumption that no breaches had taken place since then.
reported that Vance Miller was on the run in China after evading police officers who had called at his Oldham Mill in order to arrest him over an alleged kidnap. Coincidentally, a few days later, on 28 May 2007, Channel 4 screened a documentary that followed Miller and two other British entrepreneurs doing business in China.
. The fire is thought to have started near the diesel generator
of the factory and ignited the contents of propane cylinders and pallets. Sixty firefighters used ten fire engines and "a number of specialist appliances, including two aerial appliances, to contain the fire." Fire Service spokesman Paul Duggan said: "The fire is thought to have started in a diesel generator then spread to some wooden pallets and propane cylinders nearby, some of which exploded as a result. There were people inside at the time but there were no reported injuries or any reports of anyone missing." Local townspeople near the area had been left without water or very little.
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
from Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, in North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
. Miller, whose "business practices have attracted controversy", has been referred to in the media as The Kitchen Gangster.
Biography
Miller is the executive directorExecutive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
of Maple Industries, and of Kitchens, which operate from Maple Mill
Maple Mill, Oldham
The Maple Mill was a cotton spinning mill in Hathershaw Moor, Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It was designed as a double mill by the architect Sydney Stott.The first mill was built in 1904 and the second mill in 1915. In 1968, it was equipped with the first open-end spinning machines in...
in the Hathershaw
Hathershaw
Hathershaw is an urban area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It occupies a hillside to the immediate south of Oldham's town centre, and is bound by the districts of Coppice and Fitton Hill, on the northwest and southeast respectively...
area of Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
.
In January 2010 Miller was cleared of defrauding customers in Oldham. Oldham Council's trading standards department faces a £5m bill after a judge at Manchester Crown Court dropped all charges against Vance Miller. The Ramsbottom businessman was cleared of conspiracy to commit fraud and making false representation. The judge who presided over the case against Miller heavily criticised Tony Allen, the head of Trading Standards of being an unreliable witness. - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8454361.stm - http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2804973/5m-kitchen-trial-collapses.html
Vance Miller was the Victim of a £4m Vendetta. Clearing Mr Miller of conspiracy to defraud customers, Judge Jonathan Foster QC told Manchester Crown Court: “Some may think that this trial has been a waste of time, money and emotional commitment. The decision to investigate was not based on any reliable material. There was no discernible increase in complaints. I am concerned there may have been other reasons for the decision to investigate. The investigation was flawed from the start by Tony Allen’s unsubstantiated belief that complaints were increasing and Vance Miller’s businesses should be closed down.” - http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/151442/The-victim-of-a-4m-vendetta
In December 2008, Miller was cleared of charges against relating to the quad bikes that he sold. The kitchen boss was cleared of nine counts after Oldham Council withdrew its case against him. Mr Miller, 42, from Rochdale, was acquitted on all counts http://menmedia.co.uk/oldhamadvertiser/news/s/1087168_vance_has_escape_on_quad_bike_charges
In 2007 Miller was featured in Real Business Magazine - http://www.vance-miller.co.uk/auxi/real-business.pdf
Vance Miller has been featured in two documentaries about him. One called Vance Miller - The Kitchen Gangster that aired on the BBC and another that aired on Channel 4 called Brits Get Rich in China - http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/may/29/tvandradio.comment
Miller has also had a book wrote about him entitled: Kitchen Gangster?: The Story of a Serial Entrepreneur - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kitchen-Gangster-Story-Serial-Entrepreneur/dp/0954401190
In November 1995, he was sentenced to 18 months on counts of kidnapping and affray following an altercation with his neighbours over a missing kitchen unit. In February 1999, he was jailed for 6 months having punched a female inspector in the face as she pursued a minor pollution complaint near his Birtle Mill, Bury business premises. In related incidents his company was fined £28,500 for health and safety breaches and he was convicted for damaging the car of a journalist.
In 2002 the Office of Fair Trading
Office of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading is a not-for-profit and non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...
instigated the ‘Stop Now’ order and he became the first person in Britain to be handed one after supplying a kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
which was not sold as advertised.
In June 2003, defending himself without lawyers, he was called “intelligent, cunning, manipulative but above all arrogant” by a Manchester judge who jailed him for nine months for contempt of court when he failed to improve operations at his Oldham-based company, Maple Industries. He was released 2 weeks later on the undertaking to employ business efficiency consultants.
Miller is currently banned from being the director of any company in the United Kingdom until 2014.
In 2006 his home in Ramsbottom
Ramsbottom
Ramsbottom is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated on the course of the River Irwell, in the West Pennine Moors. Historically within Lancashire, it is located north-northwest of Bury, and north-northwest of Manchester...
was attacked twice in arson attacks.
Despite appearing several times on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV series Watchdog
Watchdog (TV series)
Watchdog is a BBC television series that investigates viewers' reports of problematic experiences with traders, retailers, and other companies around the UK...
and branded a rogue trader, his companies reputedly achieve an annual turnover of over £20million.
In July 2007, the magazine Real Business printed an article and interview with Vance Miller written by Charles Orton-Jones, covering his business history and current activities in some depth.
On 21 April 2009, Maple Mill was partially destroyed in a fire.
In 2010, Vance Miller was cleared of all 33 charges held against him as he took on Oldham Council single handedly in Court. Tony Allan (Head of Trading Standards) was suspended after a "flawed" case against Miller was thrown out of court.
Problems with Trading Standards
In 2006 the Greater Manchester PoliceGreater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police is the police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England...
and Trading Standards
Trading Standards Institute
The Trading Standards Institute is the professional association which represents trading standards professionals in the UK and overseas.-History:...
raided two residential properties, one belonging to Mr Miller, as well as the company's Maple Mill offices and factory. As a result of the raids four people, including Miller, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud in what was one of Tradings Standards' biggest ever operations. The company was able to continue trading despite Trading Standards seizing property in a bid to pursue its case against the company.
On 21 February 2007, under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005
General Product Safety Regulations 2005
The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 is a 2005 Statutory Instrument of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that demands that "No producer shall [supply or] place a [consumer] product on the market unless the product is a safe product" and provides broad enforcement powers...
, Trading Standards
Trading Standards
Trading Standards is the name given to local authority departments in the UK formerly known as Weights and Measures. These departments investigate commercial organisations that carry out trade in unethical ways or outside the scope of the law.-History:...
Officers in Oldham ordered Vance Miller, again trading from Maple Mill, to immediately withdraw four types of minibike
Minibike
A minibike, sometimes called a mini moto or pocketbike, is a miniature motorcycle. Most minibikes use two-stroke engines and chain drive.- History :...
s from sale. The products failed national safety provisions.
On 28 May 2008, Vance Miller was issued a six month suspended sentence and a £90,000 fine by the Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
Crown Court
Crown Court
The Crown Court of England and Wales is, together with the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal, one of the constituent parts of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
in relation to an alleged breach of the Stop Now legislation brought against him in 2003. The judge presiding over the case, however, has noted that "there was evidence of `a significant and continuing reduction in complaints' against Miller's business since the summer of 2007." The judge noted that since the Office of Fair Trading
Office of Fair Trading
The Office of Fair Trading is a not-for-profit and non-ministerial government department of the United Kingdom, established by the Fair Trading Act 1973, which enforces both consumer protection and competition law, acting as the UK's economic regulator...
was unable to provide any evidence of breaches since early 2006 then Miller was to be sentenced on the assumption that no breaches had taken place since then.
Alleged kidnapping
On 24 May 2007 the Manchester Evening NewsManchester Evening News
The Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010. It has an average daily circulation of 90,973 copies...
reported that Vance Miller was on the run in China after evading police officers who had called at his Oldham Mill in order to arrest him over an alleged kidnap. Coincidentally, a few days later, on 28 May 2007, Channel 4 screened a documentary that followed Miller and two other British entrepreneurs doing business in China.
Maple Mill burns down
On April 21, 2009, Miller's main kitchen factory and base of operations in Oldham caught fire, severely damaging the six story Maple MillMaple Mill, Oldham
The Maple Mill was a cotton spinning mill in Hathershaw Moor, Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. It was designed as a double mill by the architect Sydney Stott.The first mill was built in 1904 and the second mill in 1915. In 1968, it was equipped with the first open-end spinning machines in...
. The fire is thought to have started near the diesel generator
Diesel generator
A diesel generator is the combination of a diesel engine with an electrical generator to generate electrical energy....
of the factory and ignited the contents of propane cylinders and pallets. Sixty firefighters used ten fire engines and "a number of specialist appliances, including two aerial appliances, to contain the fire." Fire Service spokesman Paul Duggan said: "The fire is thought to have started in a diesel generator then spread to some wooden pallets and propane cylinders nearby, some of which exploded as a result. There were people inside at the time but there were no reported injuries or any reports of anyone missing." Local townspeople near the area had been left without water or very little.
External links
- www.ukpreneur.co.uk - business blog UKpreneur receives support comments for Vance
- www.Vance-miller.com
- 130 police in raid on Britain's 'worst rogue trader' kitchen supplier - a Daily Mail article outlining key facts and the history of Vance Miller up to December 2006.