Discount chain Dimmeys goes into liquidation

Liquidators have been appointed to the owner of discount chain Dimmeys three months after a management restructure was announced.

Hall Chadwick partners Richard Albarran, John Vouris and Richard Lawrence were appointed on April 24 as the joint and several liquidators of Cool Breeze Clothing Pty Ltd, owner of Dimmeys, to undertake an orderly wind down of the company’s affairs.

They are seeking expressions of interest for the business.

The 167-year-old retailer announced a management restructure in January, when it said the bulk of stores would remain open in its core market in Victoria, despite a previous announcement in November 2019 of store closures elsewhere in the country.

The management restructure saw part-owner Doug Zappelli take over the day-to-day running of the company. At the time, he said he would push ahead with some store closures but would keep open up to a dozen stores in Victoria.

The retailer, which once operated more than 40 stores across Australia, took to Facebook to announce its closing down sale last November, marking 30 per cent off its goods in order to sell through as much inventory as it can.

The announcement took some staff by surprise, with a staff member telling Inside Retail there hadn’t been an internal announcement prior to the Facebook post.

Before appointing liquidators, the company operated up to 26 stores along the eastern seaboard which are currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The liquidators said they will monitor the relevant health advice to determine if any of the stores may be reopened after the lockdown, adding they will give updates when further information becomes available.

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