Landlord kicks out Inc Spaces from Manchester site

The owner of the building that housed self-styled turnaround investor Inc & Co has successfully taken possession after what it describes as a lengthy legal process.

With its owner Scott Dylan in prison and former senior directors Jack Mason and Dave Antrobus on the run from justice following a contempt of court breach, the business appears to be breaking up, and staff who have contacted TheBusinessDesk.com complain of having wages and pension contributions unpaid.

Landlord Kinrise, which owns the Albert Estate in Manchester, including 2 Mount Street which housed the last remaining Inc Spaces flexible workspace, told TheBusinessDesk.com: “Inc & Co were a tenant of 2 Mount Street. We have recently concluded a lengthy legal process to have them removed as a tenant and are reviewing our options for the building.”

Flexible property business Inc Spaces was part of the wider Inc & Co group, which acquired several digital businesses including Skylab and Laundrapp. However, an action by Barclays Bank is underway where it is alleged the owners took £13.7m in unauthorised withdrawals. 

In the High Court in London, on the 30th of October, Judge Rajah handed down a sentence of 22 months in jail to Scott Dylan, Dave Antrobus and Jack Mason after his earlier July ruling that they were in contempt of court when they moved business assets offshore in breach of a freezing order granted to Barclays Bank, which further alleges that they are the victims of a £13.7m theft.

In sentencing the Judge said “all three have lied to the Court on a prolific scale”.

At one time Inc Spaces boasted seven sites around London, Leeds and Manchester after it acquired flex workspace operator Prospect from the administrators for £100,000 in 2020.

One employee has told TheBusinessDesk.com that they turned up to work one day at the London office on Leadenhall Street and the doors had been chained and padlocked. By the end of 2024 only the Manchester office remained.

The Leeds office at One Embankment struck lucky when The British Infrastructure Bank (now the National Wealth Fund) signed up as a tenant for an interim office which they leased from Inc Spaces. However, the landlord of that space also made legal moves to remove Inc from the premises.

It brings an end to a turbulent period for staff of never knowing whether they were going to get paid on time, or whether pension contributions would be paid, the employee told us on condition of anonymity.

There is currently an application at Companies House to strike off one of the other businesses in the group, sports data analytics business Skylab, which has been acquired by entrepreneur Luthias McCash, and who’s registered address was given as 2 Mount Street.

McCash has also taken a minority stake in barbers shop King Street Grooming, which Inc’s retail division opened in 2022. 

But TheBusinessDesk.com has learnt that former Skylab staff are pursuing claims against the new owner over non-payment of wages.

In response to questions from TheBusinessDesk.com, about this, McCash said: “I cannot comment on the previous business owners, and I have nothing to do with them.

“Both businesses are turning around in a positive direction. As with any acquisition a period of adjustment and restructuring is often necessary but both businesses are to be moving in the positive directions which I’m sure you will reflect in your article should you write it.

“It would not be appropriate for me to comment on financial commitments of a business but as I mentioned, as with any acquisition a period of adjustment and restructuring is often necessary but both businesses are to be moving in the positive directions.”