A London-based businessman who reportedly has been the subject of multiple investigations for allegedly failing to pay property taxes abroad has found himself in hot water with Rudin Management over a Times Square candy shop lease, court records show.
Chase Manders, who opened Kingdom of Sweets at 3 Times Square last year after launching his company in the U.K. in the early aughts, had signed a license agreement with Rudin — a long-term leaseholder of the building — to occupy about 2,200 square feet across the ground floor and mezzanine level of the property starting last April through the end of May 2025. Manders appears to have signed the license agreement himself, records show.
But according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court, Kingdom of Sweets abruptly vacated the storefront at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue Jan. 10, allegedly leaving the place a mess and owing Rudin about $650,000 in unpaid fees associated with the license.
This is not Manders’ first time facing similar accusations, although perhaps it is in the U. S. The Financial Times, the Daily Mail and other international publications have reported that Manders allegedly owes more than $5 million, or about 4.5 million pounds, in unpaid taxes on multiple candy store locations in the U.K.
In New York, Manders appears to operate another Kingdom of Sweets location in the Financial District, at 7 World Trade Center.
Attempts to reach Manders or Kingdom of Sweets were unsuccessful by press time, and it’s not clear at this time if he has legal representation. Kara Gorycki, a partner at the Midtown-based law firm Nesenoff & Miltenberg, which is representing Rudin, did not return a request for comment by press time.
