Miniso‘s business in Australia collapsed into administration for the second time, with the Chinese variety retailer appointing Melissa Lau, Andrew Spring and Peter Moore from insolvency firm Jirsch Sutherland as administrators earlier this month.

This is the second time the local master franchisee of the Chinese discount variety products retailer has entered administration, having previously undergone a restructuring in 2020.

Spring said that Miniso suffered from normal market forces such as labour costs, supply chain issues, and inflationary pressures.

The administrators are still in discussions with the Guangzhou-based parent company to check whether it could step in to provide aid to the struggling business.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the administration includes company-owned Miniso stores at Burwood, Castle Tower, Galeries, Parramatta, Rhodes, Sydney Central, Top Ryde, and Hornsby in NSW and DFO South Wharf, Highpoint shopping centre, Spencer Outlet, Northland, and Box Hill in Victoria.

It also includes stores at Pacific Fair in Queensland and at Westfield Carousel in Western Australia.

All of these stores continue to operate as normal. Another 18 franchisor-operated stores are not part of the administration but may be impacted, given they would source stock from the master franchisee.

The administration will affect about 140 employees from 21 stores nationwide, 13 of which are corporate and eight joint ventures.