Australia’s Downer EDI cut its annual profit forecast on Thursday amid a surge in costs at its loss-making construction contracts, sending the company’s shares sharply lower to mark their worst session in nearly a decade, Reuters reported. The revised outlook comes amid weak global business investment and as Australia’s economy stutters along with sluggish wage growth and high consumer debt.
Audit group KPMG said on Wednesday Australia’s McWilliams Wines Group had gone into voluntary administration and that it was seeking capital or a buyer for the winemaker, which has been struggling to pay creditors amid changing drinking trends, Reuters reported. The decision comes in the wake of deadly bush fires that have engulfed large swathes of Australia, especially the state of New South Wales where the company’s vineyards are located. McWilliams Wine was not immediately available for comment on whether the fires are a contributing factor.
Whichever way you look at it, it’s been an annus horribilis for many big name retailers. In 2019, we witnessed the collapse of a slew of Aussie favourites, with some international players also folding in recent months, news.com.au reported. So where did it all go wrong for these iconic companies – and what does 2020 hold for our struggling retail sector? According to Queensland University of Technology retail expert Dr Gary Mortimer, there are two main factors that caused the downfall of many businesses in 2019 – changing consumer tastes and “overcrowded, hyper-competitive markets”.
Administrators plan to close 40 per cent of Harris Scarfe’s national store network in a bold plan to make the ailing department store viable for sale,The Weekly Times reported. Deloitte Restructuring Services sent a flyer to prospective buyers outlining a dramatic restructure, according to The Australian Financial Review, which included shutting 27 of the 66 stores. The closures will mainly focus on the less-profitable sites in New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia.
The creditors of Catalist-listed lithium miner Alita Resources have approved a deed of company arrangement (DOCA) from a Chinese firm for the acquisition of Alita's assets, the Business Times reported. China Hydrogen Energy (CHE) and its Australian subsidiary Liatam Mining had proposed the DOCA this month. CHE is a special purpose vehicle for an unidentified Chinese party. In Australia, a DOCA is a rescue plan that allows a company to restructure its debt and avoid insolvency.
Tamarind Taranaki was placed in liquidation at a watershed meeting with creditors this morning, The New Zealand Herald reported. The company, which operates the Tui oil fields ran into debts when a drilling campaign in September went over budget and was unsuccessful. Malaysian-owned Tamarind Taranaki reportedly has debts of around $350 million, including a US$100 million claim from the New Zealand Government for the decommissioning costs of closing and cleaning up the fields.
Eric Watson's Cullen Group has been moved into liquidation by court order, meaning it might no longer fight a $112 million tax judgment against it. The company was moved into the hands of KPMG liquidator Vivian Fatupaito earlier this week, by court appointment, The New Zealand Herald reported. The Inland Revenue Department had been pursuing the company's liquidation after Justice Matthew Palmer ruled in March this year that Cullen Group was part of Watson's "web of entities" designed to avoid paying non-resident withholding tax.
A camper trailer company in the marginal seat of Gilmore was awarded a $750,000 federal government grant at a time that it may have been trading while insolvent, Guardian Australia can reveal. The grant, awarded under the regional jobs and investment program that was subject to a scathing report from the auditor general, was given to Off Road Camping Accessories, based in the NSW south coast town of Moruya, to develop a new type of composite panel to be manufactured for camper trailers, The Guardian reported.
A subdued domestic economy and increasing risks from an uncertain global outlook have prompted Australian companies to take a cautious view of the year ahead, Bloomberg News reported. With an economy that even Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison conceded on Monday is “soft,” new tariffs from the U.S. taking effect on around $110 billion of Chinese imports earlier this week and Brexit looming at the end of next month, not a lot of companies are optimistic about their future.
