Company behind Total Tools Biggera Waters in voluntary administration as store closes

A Gold Coast store in a well-known hardware franchise has shut down and been hammered into voluntary administration. Read the details

A Gold Coast store in a well-known hardware franchise has been shut down and hammered into voluntary administration.

Administrator Glenn O’Kearney of GT Advisory was appointed to Miels Family Holdings,

the company behind Total Tools Biggera Waters, on Thursday.

The distinctive red Total Tools store traded amid a cluster of hardware stores including Sydney Tools and Bunnings along busy Brisbane Rd.

The store has been listed on Google as “permanently closed” and it no longer appears on the national website for Total Tools.

Total Tools at Biggera Waters.

Miels Family Holdings is solely directed by Helensvale man Craig Miels, 57, who is joint shareholder with Jane Miels, whose registered address is a different home at Helensvale.

The company previously also operated Total Tools Coomera, but that franchise has been trading through an unrelated company since September.

Total Tools wasn’t the Miels’ first foray into franchising, they launched the first McDonald’s store in the western Queensland town of Moranbah, and ran a Gloria Jeans coffee shop in Atherton before that.

The company behind the Gloria Jeans store, Craig Miels Enterprises, went into voluntary liquidation owing $540,000 to 36 creditors in 2011.

The pair told media in 2012 they had met while working together at McDonald’s when they were 15.

The Gold Coast Bulletin has contacted Total Tools head office for comment and has attempted to contact Mr Miels.

Administrator Mr O’Kearney said money owed to employees had been covered by a third party.

“The director has noted a change in market conditions, and pricing undercuts by competitors, as the reason for the failure of the business,” he said.

“The administrator is working to secure the company’s assets and realise the assets for the benefit of creditors, including the secured creditors.”

Craig Miels.

Jane and Craig Miels of Gloria Jeans in 2002.

Food wholesaler Metcash has wholly owned the Total Tools chain since 2023 after buying 70 per cent in 2020.

The brand’s website listed 126 store locations as of Friday afternoon.

Total Tools suffered a devastating data leak late last year that saw up to 38,000 customers’ personal details, including credit card numbers, email addresses and log-in details, hacked by cyber criminals.

The first creditor meeting for Miels Family Holdings has been scheduled for March 25.