THE boss of a popular car dealership has slammed his landlord after he was allegedly evicted to make way for a Channel 4 show.
Shaun Williams was stunned to learn that his showroom would be used for a TV competition after his business was booted out.
GoogleShaun Williams claims he was forced out of his showroom to make way for a Channel 4 show[/caption]
Shaun had been told to move out of the site in Telford, Shropshire, as the landlord was preparing to sell up.
However, he accused the owner of a “stitch up” after a rival car dealer set up shop there.
Shaun later discovered that the showroom had been leased to Dale Oliver, an old school friend who is competing on Channel 4’s Double The Money.
The show, hosted by Sue Perkins, sees entrepreneurs challenged to double an initial pot of money in each episode.
In pursuit of this goal, Dale and his partner are selling used cars, with Shaun claiming he has had to move out for them to do so.
He told the Shropshire Star: “I’ve spent two years building this business up.
“When I was asked to leave I was told it was because the landlords would not be able to sell the site with me on it.
“I thought fair enough, but then I found out that they have now leased the car lot to Dale and Channel 4.”
Shaun was enraged by the perceived double standard and the fact that Dale will likely now be selling to his customer base in the local area, meaning he could miss out on business.
He added: “If my business can’t be on there, how come this one can? I feel I have been kicked off just so Dale can win this show.
“Dale is now on there and he is going to win thousands for being a great car salesman but it will be on my back.”
The landlord, who wishes to remain anonymous, denied that Shaun was forced to move out to accommodate the show and claimed that the arrangement was temporary as he struggled to find a buyer.
And Dale said: “We are not using his company name. We were not even sure we were selling cars until a couple of weeks ago.
“My partner lives around the corner and saw that the car lot was empty, so we approached the owner.”
He claimed that they would only be selling four to six cars across the course of four weeks.
A Channel 4 spokesman added: “The programme makers do not have any agreement with the land owner and as such cannot comment on the decisions they make for the use of their land.”
It comes after another popular dealership was forced to close by a “perfect storm” of market shifts.
Meanwhile, an expert mechanic revealed how the colour of a key part can tell you if your car was previously owned by a boy racer.