Bar Works: The return of Renwick Haddow

Renwick Haddow is back. The man who ran the Capital Alternatives network of companies is a “key figure” behind a New York co-working startup called Bar Works, according to an article on The Real Deal website.

Bar Works leases or buys retail spaces and converts them to co-working spaces. Customers can hire a desk in one of Bar Works’ co-working spaces for US$550 a month. Bar Works’ co-working spaces also contain a bar.

The company has three co-working spaces in New York and one in San Francisco, and six more coming soon in New York, Miami, Las Vegas and Dublin.

Bar Works is raising money buy offering investments in its workspaces. According to a May 2016 Reuters article, Bar Works raised $1.5 million in a funding round.

Jonathan Black, CEO and co-founder of Bar Works told The Real Deal that Haddow is only a consultant. But the Real Deal has done an excellent job unearthing the links between Bar Works and Renwick Haddow.

The Real Deal article also points out the uncanny resemblance between Jonathan Black:

and someone called Frank Jones:

In a comment on REDD-Monitor in December 2016, someone calling themselves “Marksie” also outlined a series of links between Haddow and Bar Works.

And in case you’ve never heard of Haddow, here’s an introduction to his record in alternative, unregulated investments:

Bar Works to turn UK phone boxes into mini-offices

In addition to its co-working spaces and bars, Bar Works also plans to convert the UK’s red telephone boxes into mini-offices. In May 2016, Bar Works put out a press release that Reuters and several other news outlets ran.

Here’s an extract from the press release:

Bar Works Inc is about to launch “Pod Works” in London, Leeds and Edinburgh using old BT telephone boxes as mini-work stations for both entrepreneurs who are constantly on the move or for those who need a convenient place to work before a meeting or an interview.

Pod Works plans to charge members £19.99 a month to use the mini-offices. And the company is inviting investors to put money into its plans. The minimum investment is £23,000 and the lease term is 10 years. On its website Pod Works states that investors can earn 15% in fixed rental payments, “with a proven track record” and a 25% capital appreciation at the end of the 10 years.

Pod Works is obviously worth a closer look. Pod Works’ London address is 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, an address it shares with more than 18,000 other companies.

Bar Works’ press release about phone boxes and Pod Works’ website list Paul Quade of City Road Communications as a contact for further information. City Road Communications provided public relations services for Capital Alternatives.

Quade is certainly quick on the draw. He contacted REDD-Monitor in March 2014, less than two hours after I finished a post about Capital Alternatives.

Lorna Moore: Yet another link to Haddow

A company called Pod Works Workspaces Limited was registered in the UK on 3 May 2016. The company’s sole director is Lorna Moore.

Moore has commented twice on REDD-Monitor. The first time was in October 2013, with a comment about the Financial Conduct Authority taking Capital Alternatives and several other firms to the High Court.

Moore’s second comment was in March 2015. This was far more entertaining:

It is the intention of responsibleworldwide Ltd to take Mr Chris Lang to court with immediate effect and shut this site down immediately. Mr Lang is not a journalist, has barely a qualification at GCSE level and has no ability to make a fair judgement.

If this site still exists after Monday 23rd March 2015, Mr Lang will be fined thousands of pounds per day for breach of UK law. Anyone posting on this site after this date will also be subject to prosecution. Do take this seriously! Responsibleworldwide Ltd.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any trace of Responsibleworldwide Ltd on Open Corporates or Google, but here’s Lorna Moore’s page on LinkedIn:

She was director of a company called Invest Smarter Seminars Ltd, until it was dissolved voluntarily in March 2014.

In 2013 Lorna Moore’s company put on a series of “Alternative Investments Seminars” in London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Brighton and Leeds.

An Eventbrite announcement about one of the seminars in Manchester explains that,

This seminar is presented by Mr Chris Rathbone who has over 30 years experience in financial markets specialising in investments, pensions and taxation. For the last 5 years Chris has been concentrating on Alternative Investments and the benefits these can bring to you and your pension.

Chris will illustrate his presentation with some examples of Alternative Investment opportunities showing great returns. Sierra Leone Palm Oil and Australian Wheat.

Chris Rathbone, of course, worked for Capital Alternatives. Here are his contact details on an advert for Agri Capital, later renamed as African Land:

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