They live like Melbourne’s own Kim and Kanye, married in a lavish three-day Italian wedding and wined and dined celebs in their own Birdcage marquee. But now the Kennedy luxury empire is being chased for millions.
“Please let me introduce you to Mr and Mrs Kennedy,” was how everyone was presented to the glamour couple at their lavish marquee in the Birdcage at Flemington’s Spring Racing Carnival.
It was not plain James and Jaimee Belle, if you were lucky enough to be engaged in polite conversation with the sponsor of the feature race on Oaks Day.
One guest was not alone in remarking, “Who do they think they are?”
IS THE BIRDCAGE LOSING ITS GLOSS?
Other A-listers asked: “Sorry, but just who are the Kennedys?”
Today, a Page 13 special investigation can answer that question. And a few others too.
Kennedy’s luxury boutiques have sacked staff this week and a supplier has taken them to court claiming their bills were not paid.
The Sydneysider who turned his late Holocaust survivor father’s LK Jewellery store into a chain is being chased for almost $6 million by high end Danish entertainment supplier Bang & Olufsen following their partnership collapse.
Kennedy has counter sued, claiming the luxury supplier was selling the same products at cut prices through Aldi. But are their customers the same target market as those who spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on jewellery at the Kennedy casino-based stores?
Some of them are not happy either. An angry customer who claims that a $225,000 platinum sapphire-and-diamond ring bought from the company’s Crown Casino outlet was “defective” has added to the legal headaches at the House of Kennedy.
There’s also the law suit, since settled, from builder Schiavello, which claimed that Kennedy’s parent company, Emerald Group Investments, failed to pay $186,000 of a $1.1 million renovation bill.
The Kennedys took a fight of their own to the County Court, with a claim against event company, The Big Group, for failing to organise their $859,000 “surprise” wedding.
This first wedding was cancelled because the invitations were sent out “less than five weeks” before the event.
But at least we know their lawyers are well paid.
All these cases, uncovered in a forensic look at the businesses linked to James Kennedy, come as staff in the marketing team were marched out en masse this week.
But Mr Kennedy, in a passionate defence of his company to Page 13, said everyone is going to be paid. He added staff were not instructed to only refer to him and his wife as “Mr and Mrs Kennedy”.
“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response,” Mr Kennedy told Page 13.
“As far as I am concerned business is very very good and I have no complaints.
“Kennedy is a solvent operating flourishing business.
“I have no idea about all the innuendo and rumours around rental payments. My rent is up to date.”
He said The Kennedy Group had no creditors and suppliers had all been paid. If only all businesses were doing so well.
“Kennedy is up to date with all its suppliers across the board,” he said.
“We are making changes and going external. We are looking at minimising the internal size of the marketing department and looking for external parties.
“You are looking for smoke and there isn’t any.”
Mr Kennedy said the group had a bright future.
“If you want some facts we are a business that does over a hundred million dollars a year,” he said.
“We have doubled the store footprint in the last twelve months we have opened another store at Sydney Star casino, relocating that store into a brand-new development opening next year.”
Oscar Wilde said there’s only one thing worse than being talked about, and that’s not being talked about.
Famous brand Bang & Olufsen parted ways with the Kennedys six weeks ago. But Supreme Court documents filed last week show they had been fighting over money since December last year.
The Danish giant reduced Kennedy’s credit from one million euros a month to one million euros. They threatened to stop sending stock until 300,000 euros were paid, with a freeze on Kennedy’s account lifted in February this year.
Despite this, Mr Kennedy said on Friday he had no concerns about the business while refuting questions that the group’s relationship with major landlord Crown was strained.
He said Kennedy had years to run on his leases at Crown Casinos.
The ultraconservative Victoria Racing Club issued a statement on Friday said that Kennedy’s multimillion-dollar naming sponsorship contract “remains in place until the end of 2023”.
The VRC’s chief executive Neil Wilson added: “VRC can confirm that all obligations from both parties are being met.”
The House of Kennedy tag might remind Melbourne’s old money of the elegance and style of former United States first lady Jackie Kennedy.
But we live in a world where reality star Kim Kardashian showing off her “booty” is considered the height of fashion.
The now Melbourne-based Kennedys jetted off to Florence for a three-day “fairytale wedding” that was the equal of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s wildly extravagant nuptials.
They used the same florist.
Even the Great Gatsby might have wondered if things had got a little OTT.
The LK Jewellery heir, who renamed the brand as Kennedy, met his wife while she was working as a hostess at Crown’s exclusive Nobu restaurant.
COUPLE BEHIND KENNEDY GROUP SHARE THEIR SUCCESS
JAIMEE BELLE WEDDING DRESS GETS MELBOURNE FASHION SET TALKING
At the Italian wedding, the hosts met guests in matching Dolce & Gabbana floral fashions to start three days of celebrations, with a welcoming dinner and a brunch at Belmond Villa, San Michelle. It was where Kim Kardashian married Kanye West.
However, the Kennedys turned proceedings up a notch. No expense was spared with guests moving to the Palazzo Corsini, a grand baroque palace.
Thousands of fresh flowers were strewn around the lavish grounds by Kim Kardashian’s celebrity florist of choice, Jeff Leatham.
Mr Kennedy has no illusions about promoting his wife as the company’s “ambassador”.
Plenty of marketing dollars go into her designer wardrobe and paying for posts on social media.
“Instagram is my wife’s domain. I absolutely want her to be the Kennedy ambassador,” he has reportedly said.
It’s understood Mrs Kennedy flew to the US earlier this year to seek advice from Kim Kardashian’s media trainer on how to improve her social media following.
Her highly curated and styled Instagram posts show a jetsetting designer lifestyle.
A film crew documented the newlyweds every move in Italy as they walked down a specially constructed golden aisle, the groom in a custom Dolce & Gabbana quilted tuxedo, with the bride wearing a diamond tiara from London jeweller Graff, a brand promoted by Kennedy.
All eyes were on the wedding dress, which was touted to have been created by Melbourne haute couture house J’Aton. Not one but up to ten dresses were whispered to have been commissioned for the extravaganza.
But the jewel in the crown was an elaborate hand-stitched wedding gown they labelled “baroque queen”.
But a fallout between the Kennedys and the A-list designers saw an 11th hour switch to Australian-born British based designers Ralph & Russo.
The once chummy relationship soured after J’Aton boys Jacob Luppino and Anthony Pittorino fell out of love with the new kids on the block.
J’Aton created Jaimee Kennedy’s look for Oaks Day at the Spring Racing Carnival last year and for her “coming-out’”among the wealthy elites at the swish Silver Ball charity gala in Sydney this year.
The split is far from amicable and the furious designers are said to be still chasing money — think in the hundreds of thousands — to cover the haute couture requested dress fabric and labour spent on fittings and consultations.
When Page 13 called, J’Aton said their lawyers had strongly advised them not to speak as they were seeking legal action on the matter.
Mr Kennedy denied there was a dispute, or even an issue, on Friday.
“I’m not aware of any dispute or issues with J’Aton,” Mr Kennedy said.
“Why would we pay a designer for something they didn’t provide?”
When asked if they had commissioned a dress to be worn, and if the designers were chasing money to cover the bare essentials like fabric, Mr Kennedy again drew a blank.
“There was talk. We were talking at one point about the potential of it but it never proceeded just like we spoke to Dolce & Gabbana and like we spoke to Givenchy as well,” he said.
“There is no money owing.”
“I’m not aware of any dispute or issues with J’Aton.”
The Kennedys were hosting the annual Ladies Day lunch at Crown on the eve of Kennedy Oaks Day earlier this month.
“Mr Kennedy” presided as “Mrs Kennedy” drew names out of a barrel to name the winner of one of the expensive Cartier watches they were giving away.
Mr Kennedy quipped that he might have to fire his marketing team after they gave away one watch priced at more than $60,000.
It was all in jest as a squeal of delight came from the lucky winner in the Crown Palladium room.
But a week or so later the marketing team was shown the door along with the popular managing director.
Mr Kennedy confirmed on Friday that marketing staff had been made “redundant”, saying they were being replaced with “external consultants”.
He denied staff’s personal phones had been cleared of contacts following the dismissal.
“I couldn’t tell you the specifics other than that staff were made redundant on Tuesday in the normal course of what the law says you are supposed to do,” he said.
“I’m not going to comment on rumours and rumblings of what may be disgruntled employees who don’t have a job anymore. As far as I am concerned business is very very good and I have no complaints.”
But despite the court battles the Rolex watches keeping ticking away in Kennedy’s shiny boutiques.
Tick, tick, tick.
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