BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Mane.com Ltd. benefitted from the bike trade pull out of Abacus (Chester) Ltd. last year by signing up some former Abacus users but Neil and Michelle Delafield’s company still suffered cashflow problems, leading to last week’s collapse.
"The company is no longer able to pay its creditors and there are no assets or finance available to cover the debts," wrote Michelle Delafield to creditors.
CMS I.T. Ltd. – originator of the PoS-it software sold by Mane.com – soon stepped in to the breach in order to offer support to PoS-it users stranded by Mane.com’s collapse.
Diana Bracher of CMS I.T. Ltd told bikebiz.co.uk:
"Users of PoS-iT EPoS software may not realise that PoS-iT is and has always been written and developed by CMS I.T. Ltd. PoS-iT is in no way associated with a product called Counterbalance and that Counterbalance is not an upgrade of PoS-iT.
"Following the demise of Mane.Com Ltd we will putting in place measures so that we are in a position to supply systems to cycle retailers and enter into support agreements with them directly.
"CMS I.T. Ltd has been in existance since 1985 and we want the cycle industry to be assured of our utmost commitment to present and future PoS-iT users."
Tel: 01409 254145
Email: diana@retail-it.co.uk
There are, however, always at least two sides to every story and in the case of Mane.com there are numerous sides.
Bikebiz.co.uk spent much of Friday and almost all of yesterday interviewing the main characters in a saga that has the potential to dent IBD confidence in EPoS.
IBD champions of Mane.com Ltd and UK EPoS Ltd. have been interviewed, as have IBD detractors of Neil Delafield.
Bikebiz.co.uk has spoken at length to Delafield himself – not always an easy task, as many IBDs will attest – and this site will be updated with all the relevant interviews and background facts as soon as possible. It takes a while to transcribe two day’s worth of notes.
Delafield has stressed that he will continue to offer support to all Mane.com Ltd. customers and that UK EPoS Ltd is well-funded thanks to un-named investors.
The full story will be posted here soon. Should have been today (Wednesday) but one of my kids is off nursery with a temperature, and I’m looking after her).
