REVEALED: 21 businesses that went bust in the last year
FROM pubs that ‘temporarily shut’ to full-fledged liquidations, here are 21 Toowoomba region businesses that shut up shop in 2019/20.
Business
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BUSINESS is full of highs and lows.
The Toowoomba business community has been through a lot in the last year.
Here are the businesses that shut up shop.
The Florence
ITS owner said in August 2019 that The Florence was "temporarily shut" for some renovation work.
"We're just going to freshen up for spring," publican Mic Uebergang said.
But "temporary" appears to have become permanent, with the pub still standing dormant 11 months later.
The Florence opened in July 2018, after being bought by Mr Uebergang and his business partner Karl Voll.
It was previously known as The Office and owned by the now-defunct Worldwide Hospitality Group, which went into liquidation in April 2018.
Mac's Sand and Gravel
AN ERA of almost half a century has come to an end with the closure of Toowoomba landscaping and soil supplies company Mac's Sand and Gravel in August 2019.
The Brooke St business in North Toowoomba, which backed onto West Creek, was opened by the late Bill McErlean in the early 1970s and Mr McErlean passed the business on to his son Jeff McErlean about 15 years ago.
However, a downturn in business left Mr McErlean Jnr between a rock and a hard place and he decided to close and look to other ventures.
"Probably over the past 18 months or so, business has become slower and slower," Mr McErlean explained.
"A lot of our business was supplying the bricklayers but even the brickies reckon business has slowed for them because they generally don't build things like they used to.
"So there's not the call for these materials."
LJJ Transport
LOCKYER VALLEY transport and haulage company LJJ Transport went into liquidation in August 2019.
An insolvency notice filed with the Australian Investments and Securities Commission showed LJJ Transport Pty Ltd, which was based in Helidon, entered liquidation on August 12, 2019.
Mackay Goodwin's Domenic Calabretta was appointed liquidator.
According to minutes of an extraordinary general meeting of LJJ Transport Pty Ltd, it was resolved that the company was "unable to pay its debts as and when they fall due, the company be wound up voluntarily".
Foundation Property Specialists
A DARLING DOWNS business fell into liquidation after being taken to court by the Australian Taxation Office.
The ATO applied to wind up Foundation Property Specialists Pty Ltd on August 29, 2019.
The Federal Court in Brisbane ordered that Rodgers Reidy's David Hambleton be appointed liquidator.
ATSBuild
ATSBuild Pty Ltd, run by Adrian Thomas Smith, was wound up on June 20, 2019 after an application from WorkCover Queensland over the company's outstanding WorkCover premiums, penalties and charges totalling $5289.
Bunnings Group joined the application after it was filed.
In his statutory report to creditors, liquidator Nick Combis of Vincents Chartered Accountants said that based on the information available to him at June 20, 2019, the company owed an estimated $86,000 to unsecured creditors, and had zero assets.
Mick's Express
A TOOWOOMBA business went into liquidation after the Australian Taxation Office successfully applied to wind-up the company in the Federal Court.
Rockville-based courier Mick's Express Pty Ltd was placed in liquidation on October 4, 2019, a little over a month after the Australian Taxation Office applied to wind up the company.
Vincents Chartered Accountants director Nick Combis was appointed liquidator of the company.
The website for Mick's Express has since been taken down.
O Banh Mi
A TOOWOOMBA food outlet which specialised in serving a range of delicious banh mi rolls closed its doors in September 2019.
Hoa Chiem and Tram Hoang opened O Banh Mi opened in Duggan St in December 2015.
The Vietnamese restaurant was originally named after its speciality, banh mi.
The business was taken over earlier in 2019 by Van Le.
Flannerys
AN ORGANIC health food chain that rescued Toowoomba's Wray Organic store from the brink in 2018 shut up shop in November 2019.
Customers at Flannerys Organic and Wholefood Market on Margaret St were greeted in late November 2019 with a notice on the door saying the company had decided to shut its Toowoomba store for good.
The closure came after Flannerys trading entity The Natural Grocery Company Pty Ltd was placed in voluntary administration, with Timothy Cook of Balance Insolvency appointed administrator.
Flannerys swooped in and purchased the Toowoomba store in February 2018 after Wray Organic fell into liquidation.
The store was sold by liquidators to Flannerys "as a going concern", saving 30 jobs at the time.
Mareeba 01 Pty Ltd
Worrells Solvency and Forensic Accountants' Nikhil Khatri was appointed liquidator of Toowoomba land development company Mareeba 01 Pty Ltd after creditors voted to wind up the company in December 2019.
Mr Khatri was previously the administrator of the company, which was placed in voluntary administration in November, owing just shy of $400,000 to the Australian Taxation Office.
Mareeba 01 Pty Ltd was Toowoomba businessman Mark Peart's land development vehicle for Glenridge Estate, which involved the purchase and subdivision of two lots into 61 lots off Boundary St in Glenvale.
The last lot was sold in October 2019.
Millmerran Medical Centre
POLITICIANS, residents and business groups in the small town of Millmerran were taken by surprise after the sudden closure of its GP clinic over the 2019/20 Christmas break.
The privately-owned practice, owned by long-time GP Dr Andrew Reedy, also provided doctors to the town's hospital and also saw patients at Cecil Plains.
Kedemeke Pty Ltd
TOOWOOMBA automotive business Kedemeke Pty Ltd went bust owing roughly $50,000 to creditors, including $23,000 to two employees.
According to a statutory report filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission by liquidator Adam Ward of Worrells Solvency and Forensic Accountants, the company was incorporated in October 2006 and appeared to have traded two businesses.
The first business was Clifford Street Autos.
The report said around July 2016, Kedemeke Pty Ltd began operating a second business called A1 Exhausts and Mechanical - Toowoomba.
The company was placed in liquidation as a result of Sensis Pty Ltd applying to the court to wind up the company over an unpaid debt.
Yabba Refrigerated Transport
A TOOWOOMBA refrigerated transport company collapsed owing approximately $1 million, according to the liquidator.
Yabba Refrigerated Transport Pty Ltd operated from 225 Russell St, Newtown, according to documents filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
ASIC records show the company was registered on January 30, 2019, with John Joseph Hefferan as director.
WTC Advisory's Andrew Weatherley was appointed liquidator of the company on January 22 this year.
At the time, Mr Weatherley said he had begun preliminary investigations into the company's affairs.
"At this point I can advise there are circa 43 unsecured creditors including employees who are owed approximately $450-$500,000," he said.
"The secured creditor is owed approximately $600,000 although that will decrease significantly once they realise the assets subject to their security."
KBH Enterprises
FOR more than 40 years, KBH Enterprises and its earlier incarnations had been assisting people with disabilities and mental illnesses to develop valuable skills.
But on March 31 this year, Toowoomba's longest-standing social enterprise was no longer, succumbing to changes to funding streams and a lack of sales.
KBH began as an occupational therapy unit within the grounds of Baillie Henderson hospital several decades ago, helping people with mental illness develop valuable woodworking skills.
In 1994 Karakan took on the administration of the organisation, and it was renamed KBH Enterprises.
Bullzeye
Bullzeye stores across the country, and in Toowoomba, closed their doors in March.
The western clothing and accessories company had physical stores in Rockhampton, Townsville, Bundaberg, Toowoomba and Mackay with a warehouse in Murrarie for online orders.
It was announced the company had gone into liquidation, following a notice published on the Australian Securities and Investments Commission website on March 11.
The Engine Room cafe
THE Engine Room cafe closed its doors permanently in early April.
After running the cafe for five years, owner Terry Jennings made the heartbreaking decision to permanently close after the impacts of COVID-19 led to him losing 80 per cent of his business.
Mr Jennings thanked the Engine Room cafe community for their support.
"We'd like to reach out and thank everyone over the last five years for their support," Mr Jennings said in a video message.
"We've had lots of laughs and lots of fun and made so many great friends."
Radio Rentals
RADIO Rentals stores across Australia closed permanently in mid-April, putting hundreds of staff out of work as the COVID-19 pandemic crippled the retail sector.
Radio Rentals' parent company Thorn Group told the stock market the company would permanently close all its stores and warehouses and instead expand its online presence.
Eighteen Queensland stores were among those shuttered, including one in Toowoomba.
Ausprout Group
A TOOWOOMBA company was placed in liquidation after construction, engineering, mining and agricultural services company Ahrens Group successfully applied to wind up the company in the South Australian Federal Court.
Ausprout Group Pty Ltd, which lists its director as Ryan Jeffrey Watts of Greenmount, was placed into liquidation on April 29.
The company's registered principal place of business was 509 South St, Harristown.
A Report on Company Activities and Property filed with ASIC shows Ausprout Group was a "start-up company" in its "R+D phase" with "no fixed assets of any value".
The report said the company owed $280k to creditors, including $200,000 to Mr Watts.
Homestead Highfields
A LAND development company headed by Toowoomba businessman Mark Peart that was to undertake a multimillion-dollar project north of Toowoomba went into liquidation in May.
Homestead Highfields was placed in voluntary administration by Mr Peart on April 21.
At a second meeting of creditors, creditors knocked back a proposal from company directors Mr Peart, his wife Fiona, and Grant Allsop to enter into a Deed of Company Arrangement.
The vote paved the way for former administrator-now liquidator Jason Bettles of Worrells Solvency and Forensic Accountants to investigate the reasons behind the company's collapse.
Homestead Highfields was the fifth of Mr Peart's ventures to fall into external administration in the past 19 months.
According to Worrells' figures, the company had no assets, and owed 10 unsecured creditors $526,192.
HTQ Civil Pipe Mining
TOOWOOMBA civil construction company Hotshot Transport Queensland, which traded as HTQ Civil Pipe Mining, is in liquidation.
The company was placed into a members voluntary liquidation on June 30 and Adam Ward of Worrells Solvency and Forensic Accountants was appointed liquidator.
In a notice to former employees dated July 3, Mr Ward wrote that he expected "to be able to payout your full employee entitlements" and that it would occur "as a priority dividend".
A Worrells note to creditors states the company is solvent and all creditors are expected to be paid in full, "the timing of which will be advised in future updates".
The Chronicle understands roughly five employees have lost their jobs.
Bubmania
A TOOWOOMBA baby retail store shut its doors at the end of June.
Owner Donna Scott said the move was symptomatic of the struggles felt by the remaining independent baby retailers in Queensland.
"It is more about the fact that it's getting harder for the independent businesses to compete against the buying power of larger chains," she said.
"It hasn't been great for the baby industry for quite some time and we're one of four independent baby stores left in Queensland."
Ms Scott thanked the store's loyal customers for their support over the years.
Jaybelle Home Decor and Gifts
A STUNNING home decor and gift shop has closed its doors after a decade operating in Highfields.
Jaybelle Home Decor and Gifts's final day of trade was June 28.
Store owner Jo Maxwell let her customers know of the closure by posting on Facebook.
"It is with great sadness that after 10 years I will be closing the doors at the end of June. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all who have supported my staff and I over the years," it read.
"It has finally come the time for me to step back and enjoy some moments with my family."
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