Debts revealed in the collapse of the company behind a Noosa cocktail bar, deli

A Noosa cocktail bar and deli has become the latest hospitality business on the coast to shut shop, citing industry pressures and a pullback on consumer spending.

Baxter's Bar and Deli at Noosaville.

A Noosa cocktail bar and deli has closed its doors less than two years after opening, citing industry pressures and changing consumer habits that had resulted in an estimated $50,000 debt.

The company Beach Brothers Pty Ltd, which traded as Baxter’s Bar and Deli, brought in liquidator at Vincents, Nick Combis on June 3, 2024 shortly after the closure of the venue.

According to Australian Securities and Investments Commission documents the company had two founding directors, David Howard and James Westley, who both remained in those roles until the company entered liquidation.

ASIC documents state the business first opened on Gibson Rd, Noosaville in September 2022.

Liquidator Mr Combis said the Noosaville bar had been impacted by increased running costs and reduced discretionary spending, which continued to plague the hospitality industry.

“The many businesses in the hospitality industry which have recently failed, including (the) struggling hospitality industry in general, (are impacted by) the current economic climate causing discretionary spend to reduce significantly and increased business costs (electricity, wages, raw materials etc),” Mr Combis said.

Mr Combis said early stages of the liquidation had uncovered approximately $50,000 in debts owed to the company’s creditors, but the total figure could possibly rise.

“At this stage creditors are estimated around $50,000 but it is early and this amount may well rise,” Mr Combis said.

An ASIC report by Mr Combis showed many of the creditors are other Noosa-based hospitality businesses, as well as the Australian Taxation Office with a debt of approximately $27,000.

The liquidation of Baxter’s comes after a series of local company collapses in the Sunshine Coast and Noosa regions.

The popular Sandbar Cafe and Kiosk in Caloundra, operated by D.M.A.H Enterprises, also entered liquidation earlier this year due to skyrocketing rent and reduced spending among customers.

Baxter’s Bar and Deli has been contacted for comment.