Sneakerboy has been placed in administration after several attempts to wind it up

Five companies which make up the Sneakerboy retail group have been placed in voluntary administration.

Luxury shoe retailer Sneakerboy has been placed in voluntary administration just weeks after the latest in a series of attempts to wind up companies in the group.

In the most recent effort, finance firm Banjo Loans lodged winding up orders in June against two companies in the group - Sneakerboy Retail Pty Ltd and Luxury Retail Group (LRG) Pty Ltd - run by Melbourne-based Nelson Mair and Theo Poulakis.

The five companies which make up the group have now been placed in voluntary administration, with Stephen Dixon of Hamilton Murphy Advisory appointed as administrator.

The number of winding up applications lodged against companies in the group stands at more than 10 over the past three years, with Luxury Retail Group also facing a number of legal actions over the past year or so, including a $1.2m claim from the Australian Taxation Office for unpaid superannuation and taxes, and a $148,000 claim from Adidas, which sought to have the group wound up early last year.

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Sneakerboy closed its Brisbane store and removed its listing from its website in early April, leaving it with three stores in Victoria, at Southwharf DFO, Chadstone Shopping Centre and a flagship store on Little Bourke St, as well as a store on George St, Sydney.

The company, which sells high-end footwear such as Alexander McQueen sneakers, which sell for more than $800, and Moncler snow boots which go for $1300, launched a surprise online warehouse sale in June, offering discounts of more than 70 per cent on some items, and currently has an online-only sale again offering steep discounts through its website.

Mr Dixon was not available for comment on Monday.

The debt claimed by Banjo is also unclear at this stage, and Banjo said it does not comment on legal recovery processes..

in mid-April, Sneakerboy’s Queensland landlord, AMP Capital Shopping Centres, filed an application to wind up one of the group’s companies - Sneakerboy Pty Ltd - claiming it had failed to pay rent for more than a year.

It was reported that the Melbourne-based company had failed to comply with a statutory demand for payment of $292,172.94 for the lease of a shop in the Pacific Fair Shopping Centre at Broadbeach.

A report last year said the ATO was pursuing Sneakerboy for $1.2m in unpaid super and taxes, however the company was disputing this.

News Corp Australia was shown documents at the time backing up the claims of unpaid superannuation.

In an email seen by News Corp Australia at the time, Mr Mair said while he did not believe the business owed staff unpaid superannuation, an in-depth review would be undertaken.

“I take this matter seriously, as our employees, past and present, remain our strongest asset and our point of difference in this competitive market,” Mr Mair said in the email.

“We have been working methodically post the Covid period to ensure that all of our compliance is up to date. This has involved us working closely with the ATO to ensure that our calculations, and our processes are correct. My understanding is that we have paid correct entitlements to our employees.

“Nevertheless, given the feedback that we have received we have initiated a review of each and every current and former team member file.”

Mr Mair and Mr Poulakis founded menswear business Rhodes & Beckett, which went into voluntary administration in 2017, after which the business was restructured and sold.

Sneakerboy has been contacted for comment.

Originally published as Sneakerboy has been placed in administration after several attempts to wind it up