50SixOne opens new dessert bar at Henley Beach, but Mt Barker store goes into liquidation

The expansion of high profile dessert bar chain 50SixOne has hit a bump in the road with the failure of its shop in the Hills resulting in liquidation – just as a new outlet opens at Henley Beach today.

Founder Simon Flocco with of his signature milkshakes at 50SixOne on King William Road in Hyde Park. Picture: Matt Loxton

The expansion of high profile dessert bar chain 50SixOne has hit a bump in the road with the failure of its shop in the Hills resulting in liquidation just as a new outlet opens at Henley Beach today.

The store in Mount Barker closed before Christmas with the owners blaming the location and high overheads.

Liquidator Daniel Lopresti from Clifton Hall was appointed this week.

50SixOne takes its name from the postcode for Hyde Park, where its first store opened in 2016.

It quickly developed a reputation for its indulgent desserts and freak shakes, with pictures spreading via social media sites such as Instagram.

One of the over-the-top “freak shakes” at 50SixOne. Picture: Matt Turner

The original outlet and another at Prospect continue to trade, with each run as a separate entity though having the same four owners, including founder Simon Flocco.

Co-owner Zac Makims said the decision to close the Mount Barker store had not been easy.

“It was a hard call to make given the money we had spent on a fit-out but it was a move we had to make,” he said.

“We’re very happy with the direction the business is going but unfortunately Mount Barker has been a bit of a learning curve.”

Mr Makims said all employee entitlements and supplier debts had been covered and that the bulk of the debt was owed to the owners and the tax department.

They were negotiating with the landlord to cover debt while the premises was empty.