The liquidation of STR 48 seems to be the end of the road for Wells, even though his wife continued to briefly operate one of the Antipodea branches under a different company. Fittingly, this company also faced a tribunal claim in September 2025 for unpaid wages – and lost. All of the branches have now closed.
In July 2024, Wells was disqualified as a director for his conduct in relation to a construction company he owned: Ironbark Design and Construct Ltd.
This was followed by a bankruptcy order last February. He is now listed as a deliberate tax defaulter, owing the government £150,000 in tax and penalties – a fraction of the total debts his companies racked up.
But the question remains as to why the system allowed…