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Schism develops at troubled SPCK

02.11.07 Graeme Neill

The last remaining representatives of troubled Christian bookchain SPCK have resigned from their new parent company's board citing a  "conflict of interest", it has emerged. Orthodox Christian charity St Stephen the Great took over the chain last year, and Bishop Michael Perham and Simon Kingston were members of the SSG Trustee Body until two weeks ago. "We regret having to tender our resignations," said Perham, SPCK chair of governors. "However, we felt an increasing conflict of interest in our duty to represent SGG while also representing what we felt to be best for SPCK."

The continued use of the SPCK name by the 23 stores is also under review, and the chain's continuing financial troubles were picked over at last week's annual general meeting. According to Kingston, in the financial year ending-May 2007 the bookshop operation lost more than £700,000. "The overall net outflow [from SPCK's bookshops] before exceptional items was £563,000, which though disappointing was none-the-less an improvement on last year's figure of £1.03m," he said. He added that SPCK is budgeting to break even for the next financial year, "The first such budget in recent memory".

The a.g.m. follows the resignation of 11 staff from the company's Exeter store earlier this month because of new demands in their contracts. In January, SSG also introduced new stocking policies to SPCK stores including implementing a ban on stocking the Qur'an. SSG president Phil Brewer was unavailable for comment.

Retail Graeme Neill SPCK

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