Liquidator appointed to company linked to WridgWays Australia

A logistics company linked to national removal group WridgWays Australia has collapsed, owing creditors more than $15m.

The 128-year-old WridgWays removal business has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane and employs about 200 people across the country.

A Melbourne-based logistics company linked to national removal group WridgWays Australia has collapsed, owing creditors more than $15m.

Timothy Brace of SV Partners was appointed liquidator of Relocation Logistics Australia earlier this month after creditors moved to wind up the company based in Dandenong South.

The 128-year-old WridgWays removal business has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane and employs about 200 people across the country.

A representative in the company’s Perth office said the WridgWays business continued to trade as normal. Several of its metropolitan office phone numbers have been disconnected.

Removalists have been hit hard by the closure of both international and domestic borders due to COVID-19, with house shifts and office relocations put on hold.

According to a document lodged by Mr Brace with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission, Relocation Logistics Australia owes creditors about $15.8m, including more than half a million to secured creditors.

Both WridgWays Australia and WridgWays Pty are listed as a related party creditors of Relocation Logistics, claiming the company owes them more than $9m.

Founded in 1892 by Ernest Wridgways, WridgWays was later taken over by the Danish logistics group Santa Fe. In 2018, Santa Fe sold the Australian operations to Santa Fe Australia managing director Kobus Fourie in a management buyout.

Originally published as Liquidator appointed to company linked to WridgWays Australia