British Association of Removers Ltd

Annual Report & Accounts

2010

BAR is dedicated to promoting professional excellence and service in the removal industry for the mutual benet of removers and their customers

BAR is dedicated to promoting professional excellence and service in the removal industry for the mutual benet of removers and their customers
BAR Mission Statement

Contents
Notice of Extraordinary General Meeting Presidents Report Director Generals Report Treasurers Report BAR Services Chairmans Report QSS Chairmans Report BAR Organisation & Governance Directors Report Independent Auditors Report Profit & Loss Account R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R9 -R11 1-2 3-4 5 6 7-14 15-17

British Association of Removers Ltd

Tangent House 62 Exchange Road Watford Herts WD18 0TG T 01923 699480 F 01923 699481 E info@bar.co.uk W www.bar.co.uk

Balance Sheet Notes to the Financial Statements Detailed Profit & Loss and Summaries

Notice of an Extraordinary General Meeting

Wednesday 21 September 2011
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING of The British Association of Removers will be held at 12.00am (Noon) on Wednesday 21 September 2011 at Tangent House, 62 Exchange Road, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18 0TG, for the following purposes; 1. 2. To receive and consider the Associations Accounts, and reports of the Directors and Auditors, for the year ended 31 December 2010. To consider any other business admitted by the Chairman. By Order of the Board of Directors James Falkner Company Secretary 17 August 2011 Registered Office of the Company: Tangent House, 62 Exchange Road, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18 0TG Company Registration Number: 133531 Note: Every Member entitled to attend and vote may appoint a proxy in accordance with, and with the powers conferred by, Articles 38, 39, 40, 41, 42 and 43 of the Articles of Association to attend and vote in his stead. To be effective, a form of proxy together with any power of attorney or other authority under which it is signed, must reach the registered office no later than 10.00am on Wednesday 14 September 2011. To enable comprehensive answers to be provided to any questions in connection with the Agenda, questions should be submitted to the Company Secretary no later than 10.00am on Wednesday 14 September 2011. Copies of the Report and Accounts are available to Members for downloading at www.bar.co.uk/egm2011.aspx or upon request, and will be available for inspection at the meeting.

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Presidents Report
for the year ended 31st December 2010
Bristol was the venue for the Associations 2010 conference and my inauguration as President for the two years.The conference was well attended with the number of delegates up from the previous years conference in Brussels.

...the views of the membership can be truly reected as our Association moves forward.

Reg Hackworthy President August 2011

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Director Generals Report

for the year ended 31st December 2010
In my report last year I referred to the building blocks being put in place for the future. Ideally I would like to focus my report for 2010 on all of the positive actions, initiatives and progress that we have made as an Association and we have made signicant progress.

Sadly all of this positive news has been overshadowed by the large dark cloud of a significant fraud perpetrated on us by a now former employee. We have made significant progress in our Training offering, lobbying has increased both directly and through the good offices of FEDEMAC, our marketing activity has increased, DMotY is fast becoming an established and valuable award, nicely complementing the great success of CMotY. QSS and BARS continue to offer great levels of service and range of products at very competitive rates and are both to be commended at a time of great trading difficulty for all. The new website has been well received by consumers generating well over 1m business for members and the internal part of the website continues to be developed to improve information and communications. There are so many other positive actions to be report, but it would be remiss of me not to use the space available to cover the issues raised by the accounts in somewhat more detail. It has been necessary to restate the balance sheet by over 300k. This is made up of several elements namely theft, through the doctoring of cheques, cover up of other transactions, falsifying accounts and other elements that, at the time of writing, we have been unable to identify. We have evidence that this fraud has been taking place since at least 2006 demonstrating that this is not a one off occurrence. Investigations have been long and complex. We discovered this through a combination of putting in place proper professional procedures and the excellent diligence of our current auditors in identifying items that had falsely been on our balance sheet for many years but not noticed by previous auditors. The support we have received from Wellers and Backhouse Jones in not only dealing with the fraud but also rebuilding our accounts has been excellent.The impact of this on the people at BAR Head Office cannot be underestimated. They had known the individual for many years and close friendships had formed, so the news and scale of the fraud has had a major impact on morale. We have only been able to deal with this as well as we have because of the support of our advisors, the support of James Falkner, who as Company Secretary has been the main person involved with Banks and the Police, and the professional

...the support of Members has been critical in ensuring that the Association remains strong.
attitude of the remainder of the Secretariat. I cannot comment on the Police investigations as they are still ongoing, but to date they have been thorough and professional. Lastly the support of Members has been critical in ensuring that the Association remains strong. Incredibly tight management of expenditure and early payment of subscriptions by supportive Members have meant that we have managed our way through this years immediate cash ow problems. In closing I would like to formally, on behalf of the Association, thank all of those whose positive and helpful approach to this has ensured that we have seen our way past the main difficulties and come out of this stronger, more professional and our reputation intact.

Stephen Vickers Director General August 2011

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Treasurers Report
for the year ended 31st December 2010
When I was Director in charge of the Ofce and Commercial Division for Whittle Movers Group, we had a slogan and aim to deliver a quality of service which met or exceeded our Customers expectations. I was reminded of this when preparing this Report, in that the trading situation in 2010 for B.A.R. Ltd met or exceeded, in the main, our expectations or in other words Budget.
And I would suggest that this was a remarkable achievement when the most significant fiscal decision of the year was to hold subscriptions at January 2009 levels, recognising that the Membership was struggling to keep their own businesses in profit during recessionary times. As you now know, that beneficence could not be extended any further post July 2011, but the increase was kept to an absolute minimum, in fact, slightly below ination at that time, without any effect on service provision. Yes, there was an area in which the expectation was not met, concerning the contribution from Removals and Storage (not entirely surprising due in the main to the downturn in advertising revenue), but revenue streams held up pretty well in other areas, especially subscription income, which was remarkably buoyant. Membership losses were counterbalanced by new Members coming on board, thus ensuring that the overall revenue position for subscription income against budget was satisfactory. It was particularly pleasing to note that the contribution from the Conference came in as expected, especially after the struggle in 2009 to reduce the significant deficit to a minimum. A highlight, in terms of exceeding expectations, was the performance of the Training Division, which, although suffering from staffing problems relating to having a regular field trainer on staff, having an effect on consistency of service provision, still comfortably beat what was an aggressive budget. Congratulations to Loren Webster and her team for performing so well in a difficult climate. The Division will again have a stretching budget in place for 2011, as it needs to remain a sizeable contributor to the bottom line. Cost control across the board remained tight throughout the year, with close scrutiny of every line, and examination taking place and questions being asked on a regular basis where variances against budget and/or last years performance became evident. Not rocket science - just sound business practice, in good times as in not so good. As you are aware from the statement issued by the Company Secretary on the 6th of April 2011, and the detailed report given by the Director General at the AGM, serious financial irregularities have been discovered dating back at least to 2006, and as I prepare this report a full investigation is being undertaken involving our Auditors, Wellers; the BAR Director General and Company Secretary and the Police.

...we have a prudent budget in place for 2011, and are confident of achievement...
The main elements of the irregularities have been uncovered and a potential liability provision has been incorporated into the accounts to be presented at the EGM, where a more detailed verbal report will also be given. This detailed and thorough investigation and the extraordinary items included in the accounts for 2010 were essential in providing a framework for confidence in, and control of, your monies in the future. A Balance sheet adjustment has been clearly identified, but the extraordinary financial controls put in place in 2011 and diligent management have ensured that we have worked our way through this period without the need to increase subscriptions beyond that which we need for the normal running of the Association. Cash ow will continue to be tight for a while as it will take some considerable time to complete the investigations into the irregularities and conclude matters arising from the irregularities. There is no doubt that 2011 will be an extremely challenging year for the Association and its Membership. Despite this prediction, we have a prudent budget in place for 2011, and are confident of achievement, matching cost to any major uctuations in revenue. Our eyes will not be taken off the ball. My thanks again but nevertheless no less sincere go to the gentleman with whom I have the closest business relationship, namely Stephen Vickers, the Director General. His help and support has been invaluable. My thanks also to the President, the Board, the Executive, and all the staff at Watford for the parts they have played in assisting me in my duties. The A.G.M. in May 2011 saw me embarking on my fourth year as your Treasurer. It really doesnt seem that long ago since my appointment in May 2008! Please be assured that I will continue to play my part in ensuring that the financial objectives are met, and assist the Board in delivering value for money to all, as the B.A.R. continues to consolidate its position as the preeminent and most recognised brand for Removals in the United Kingdom.

David Bunting Honorary Treasurer August 2011

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BAR Services Chairmans Report

for the year ended 31st December 2010
As a co-operative owned by members, BAR Services exists solely to work on your behalf so it therefore gives me pleasure to begin my Chairmans report by saying that despite the continued slow market conditions and several increases in paper prices, we were once again able to reward members with a year-end rebate, something that was not possible twelve months ago.

The fragile market we have experienced has finally begun to show signs of an improvement in the housing market and consumer confidence thus beginning a slow recovery. Unfortunately, the increase in paper costs, bizarrely brought about by a shortage of worldwide wheat, the starch from which is used at various stages of the paper manufacturing process, was a primary factor of the two increases in carton prices, although BAR Services worked hard to ensure the affect on members purchasing these products was kept to a minimum. Whilst working hard to keep costs down, BAR Services has still managed to provide high quality products and has also introduced a new one the innovative Cordlash 95 restraint system which has generated much interest, and we have also gone into partnership with Safpro, a leading corporate workwear supplier which has given us the ability to negotiate a cost effective range of clothing for members at discounted prices. BAR Services has also been keen to promote ISO 14001 to larger companies who will not find it as onerous as it could be to smaller businesses. Furthermore, we have been keen to offer information regarding board grade to provide our customers with a better understanding of the quality of board being used for your cartons, highlighting that although initially cheaper cartons may look to be a good money saving measure, it is probably because it has been manufactured using a lesser grade board. Unfortunately, it has also been a time of personnel change at BAR Services. Tony Allen, a familiar face to almost everyone within the industry, retired after some thirty years having managed BAR Services since its inception, and my predecessor, Anthony Robinson decided to step down as Chairman in October last year in order to concentrate on his own business needs. But perhaps the most poignant of all was the news that Peter Barrett, BAR Services Chairman for many years and a much loved figure in the removal world, sadly passed away at the end of October, leaving a huge void for all those who knew and worked with him. Despite having an involvement with this co-operative for nearly ten years, Chairmanship is a new role for me and I am aware that I am following in some big footsteps. I am, however, looking forward to developing new and sustainable business projects with the rest of my team.

Whilst working hard to keep costs down, BAR Services has still managed to provide high quality products
After much time and energy has been spent carrying out Article changes following the BAR governance review, and contract negotiations with Contrast, our management company, BAR Services is approaching a new and exciting era. Even though it is expected that the economic climate will remain tough for a good few years to come, I now look positively to the future as we embark on a new five year contract and a new five year business plan which should ultimately see us through these difficult times. With so much going on, we look forward to continuing providing innovative, quality products and I thank all the team at BAR Services and you, the member, for your unfailing support over the years.

John Luxford Chairman BAR Services August 2011

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QSS Chairmans Report

for the year ended 31st December 2010
Again I am pleased to report Quality Service Standards Limited has provided a very economic and effective service to monitor quality systems for moving and storage companies, primarily members of BAR, throughout 2010.

This service alone is worth the cost of the quality standard compliance by providing comfort and assurance that all is in order

David Trenchard FMI Chairman QSS August 2011

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BAR Organisation & Governance (as at 17 August 2011)

BAR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President Vice President Honorary Treasurer Director General National Council Chairman Overseas Group Chairman Commercial Moving Group Chairman BAR (Services) Chairman Directly Elected by the Membership Directly Elected by the Membership Directly Elected by the Membership Reg Hackworthy Ian Studd David Bunting Stephen Vickers Richard Dolan Ian Palmer Mark Herrington John Luxford Gary Wheadon Brian Maidman Matt Faizey Hackworthy & Sons Ltd Harrow Green Removals Ltd Honorary Life Member BAR Greens Removals & Storage Ltd White & Co plc Pickfords Business Solutions (appointed 7 July 2011) Luxfords of Weybridge D Sully & Son Ltd Maidmans Removals & Storage M&G Transport Ltd (appointed 16 June 2011)

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President Vice President Honorary Treasurer Director General Nominated by the Board of Directors Co-opted by the Exec. Committee Company Secretary Reg Hackworthy Ian Studd David Bunting Stephen Vickers Gary Wheadon Russell Start James Falkner Hackworthy & Sons Ltd Harrow Green Removals Ltd Honorary Life Member BAR D Sully & Son Ltd Pickfords BAR

NATIONAL COUNCIL
Chairman Deputy Chairman East Anglia Representative East Metropolitan Representative East Midlands Representative Kent Representative New Metropolitan Representative North Western Representative Northern Representative Northern Ireland Representative Scotland Representative South Wales Representative South Western Representative Southern Representative Sussex Representative West Midlands Representative Western Representative Yorkshire Representative Richard Dolan Mike Andrews Richard Dolan Vacant Richard Stoddart Tom Bourne Julie Thompson Rob Ford Alan Hoggin Dominic Murray Simon Swales Paul Fox Craig Pagett Neal Lambert Roger Martell William Burden Angus Russell Mike Andrews Greens Removals & Storage Ltd Pickfords Greens Removals & Storage Ltd Arrowpak International T Bourne & Son Ltd Luxfords of Weybridge Pickfords Harkers Removers & Storers Ltd Coatsway Storage & Removals Ltd White & Co plc Fox Group (Moving & Storage) Ltd Anglo Carriers George Lambert & Son Ltd Martells International Removers White & Co plc Britannia Lanes Pickfords

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BAR Organisation & Governance (as at 17 August 2011)

OVERSEAS GROUP COUNCIL
Chairman Deputy Chairman Honorary Vice Chairman Councillors Ian Palmer Vacant Nick Kerr Robert Bartup Stephen Denning Rupert Morley Chris Mackley Austin Clark Tony Tickner Steve Fanning Andrew Wade Wesley Bourne Moore Shanks Stephen Gray Ian MacLeod White & Co plc DT Moving Ltd GB Liners Ltd Fox Group (Moving & Storage) Ltd Sterling Relocation Ltd ICM Gerson Ltd Clark & Rose Ltd Euro USA Shipping Ltd Britannia Movers International plc F+N Worldwide Logistics Ltd T. Bourne & Son Ltd MTC Administrator Anglo Pacific International plc Excess International Movers Ltd

Co-opted

COMMERCIAL MOVING GROUP COUNCIL

Chairman Deputy Chairman Immediate Past Chairman Councillors Mark Herrington Vacant Rod Seeland Brian Maidman Nigel Shaw Danny Rutter Richard OSullivan Richard Hill Kevin Mack Elizabeth Harper Timon Thorncroft Phil Oram Pickfords Business Solutions BCL Maidmans Removals & Storage Specialised Movers Premier Moves Ltd Russell Fewins Ltd Delivery Services Ltd Company Moves Harrow Green Removals Ltd JT & Sons Relocations Ltd Premier Moves Ltd

Co-opted

BAR AREAS AND OFFICERS

AREA East Anglia East Metropolitan East Midlands Kent New Metropolitan North Western Northern Northern Ireland Scotland South Western South Wales Southern Sussex West Midlands Western Yorkshire CHAIRMAN Richard Dolan, Greens of Suffolk Ltd Paul Freeman, C Neale Andrew Wade, F+N Worldwide Logistics Ltd David Strank, Stranks Removals & Storage Ltd Roger Aiken, Stephen Morris Shipping PLC Ernie Humphries, BCL Gareth Davies, Pickfords Campbell McGimpsey, McGimpsey Bros Ltd David Woodhouse, Matt Purdie & Sons Sharon Jerrard, W McMullin & Sons Jeff Robbins, Robbins & Sons (Removals) Steve Davies, Bradbeers Removers & Storers Brady Wheadon, A W Wheadon Ltd Robert Bartup, GB Liners Ltd Mark Chudley, Chudley International Mike Andrews, Pickfords SECRETARY Andrew Pearson, APAK Removals & Storage Ray Slemmings, C Bain of Upminster Jayne Cliffe, Cliffes Removals Tom Bourne, T Bourne & Son Ltd Darren House, Wentworth International Annette Harris, Anglo Pacific International Alan Hoggin Harkers Removals & Storers Ltd Dominic Murray, Coastways Georgina Berry, Richard Healey Removals Sue Christophers, M J Christopher & Son Andrew Robbins, Robbins & Sons (Removals) Peter Doman, Basil Fry & Company Miranda Hyder, BAR Services Sarah Pargeter, Fox Group Maria Russell, Britannia Lanes of Somerset Graham Puddephatt, Reason GIobal

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BAR Organisation & Governance (as at 17 August 2011)

BAR HEAD OFFICE STAFF
Regulatory Department Finance Department Commercial Department Stephen Vickers James Falkner Andrew Fawssett Cheryl Kent Shelley Hansberry Caroline Suard Paul Swindon Devina Parshotam Joanne Swinton Tracy Britten Melissa Fowler Loren Webster Martyn Minker Lee Pierpoint Director General Company Secretary Consumer Affairs /Code Compliance Officer Financial Controller Finance Assistant Director of Marketing Commercial Manager Marketing Officer Marketing Officer Executive Assistant Administrator Training Manager Training Co-ordinator Field Trainer

Support Department Training Department

BAR (SERVICES) LTD BOARD

Chairman Deputy Chairman Directors John Luxford Rob Lane David Trenchard Matt Purdie George Sutherland Anthony Robinson Stephen Vickers Reg Hackworthy David Bunting Miranda Hyder James Falkner Luxfords of Weybridge Britannia Lanes of Devon Leatherbarrows R & S Ltd Matt Purdie & Sons Ltd Robinsons International BAR

BAR President BAR Honorary Treasurer General Manager Company Secretary

BAR

QUALITY SERVICE STANDARDS LTD BOARD

Chairman Directors BAR President BAR Honorary Treasurer Quality Manager Company Secretary David Trenchard Matt Purdie Annie Neave Stephen Vickers Reg Hackworthy David Bunting Paul Tidswell James Falkner Leatherbarrows R & S Ltd Matt Purdie & Sons Ltd Britannia Neaves of East Anglia BAR

BAR

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British Association of Removers Ltd

Tangent House 62 Exchange Road Watford Herts WD18 0TG T 01923 699480 F 01923 699481 E info@bar.co.uk W www.bar.co.uk