The Bookseller.com

2nd December 2008

'Nothing to liquidate' at St Stephen the Great

24.07.08 Graeme Neill

Christian charity and bookseller St Stephen the Great's Chapter 7 bankruptcy case in the US should be dismissed because there is nothing in the business to liquidate, according to a court document obtained by The Bookseller.

In June brothers Mark and Phil Brewer, who run the chain, told its suppliers that SSG LLC had filed for protection from its creditors under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code. This was later converted to Chapter 7 by Houston Bankruptcy Court, leaving the business in liquidation.

However, trustee for the Chapter 7, Randy W Williams, who gathers and sells assets to pay off creditors, has filed a motion to dismiss the case. Williams argued that "on its face there is nothing to liquidate and nothing available to fund an investigation in the UK". He said that given the "hundreds of creditors" in the UK, "the US is not a proper forum for a liquidation".

Mark and Phil Brewer were unavailable for comment.

Retail Graeme Neill Home christian bookseller SPCK SSG St Stephen the Great

Comments on this article