Ben & Jerry’s store at Pacific Fair in liquidation after Covid-19 lockdowns, high rent bites revenue
A popular ice cream shop in the Gold Coast’s best-known shopping centre is in liquidation, with its shattered owner blaming two key factors for “drowning the business”. Here’s their story
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A popular ice cream shop in the Gold Coast’s best-known shopping centre has melted into liquidation, with its shattered owner blaming pandemic lockdowns and high rent for “drowning the business”.
Ben & Jerry’s at Pacific Fair scooped its last cones on Monday and the company behind it, Mint Snowflake, was placed into administration on Tuesday.
The company previously operated the Ben & Jerry’s store at Cavill Ave in Surfers Paradise - however that business was sold around 18 months ago.
Liquidator Andrew Weatherly of WCT Advisory said his early inquiries had found the company owed $200,000-$300,000.
The main creditors are understood to be the Australian Taxation Office, the landlord of the company’s previous store at Surfers Paradise and the Ben & Jerry’s head office.
Mint Snowflake is solely directed and owned by Brisbane man Jonathan Byrnes, 40.
Mr Byrnes said he and his wife had been negotiating to sell the Pacific Fair store as they were expecting their first child in 2019 - but then Covid-19 scuppered the sale.
“From then it just became a long battle to stay afloat,” Mr Byrnes said.
“We fought a good fight but when your stores are open and shut during lockdowns and you are paying $500,000 a year rent you simply can’t afford for that to happen.
“We ended up with a lot of catch-up payments and it drowned the business in the long run.
“We are sad to see a business we worked hard on, that brought a touch of fun to the locations slowly fade away in to nothing and we feel for our 30 odd staff some with families of their own that will now be looking for work in an environment that is becoming increasingly unstable.”
A spokesman for Pacific Fair said the centre made “every effort to support and assist our retailers”.
“While we are always disappointed when they do leave the centre, we understand these decisions need to be made,” he said.
Mr Byrne said he had good memories of the once-thriving business and said the couple had been “honest and hard working owners who treated everyone with respect and kindness”.
“It’s a sad day and a sad time for our family,” he said.
Ben & Jerry’s was founded in 1978 and purchased by European brand behemoth Unilever in 2000 for $425 million. It launched its first Australian franchises in 2011.
Garry McDonald, Ben & Jerry’s national operations manager for Australia and New Zealand, said the company was “working through the situation” and declined to comment further.
The failure of the Ben & Jerry’s store follows a wider collapse of the Cowch dessert chain, which also had an outlet in Pacific Fair which relocated in 2021.
Cowch went into administration in March, with its founders blaming rising costs and interest rates.
The administrators have continued to trade the Cowch stores in the hope an investor will salvage the business.
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