Godfreys worker Gwyn MacNeil shares his sadness over the closure of SA stores included in the closing down announcement
Iconic vacuuming company Godfreys has announced nationwide closures including SA stores, leaving workers saddened at the ending of an era.
SA News
Don't miss out on the headlines from SA News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Iconic Australian vacuuming company Godfreys will be closed for good, after no viable offers to buy the struggling business were made.
The retailer, established in 1931 in Australia, appointed voluntary administrators earlier this year citing cost of living pressures and inflation.
The closure means 141 stores will shut — including 12 in SA — and leave 600 employees without a job.
Godfreys Superstore Croydon manager, Gwyn MacNeil, 44, of Hallett Cove said the news was hard to take for his workers.
“They’re feeling pretty hollow and pretty lost. Obviously, there’s a lot of people that have worked for Godfreys for a long time and have a lot of love for the business,” he said.
Mr MacNeil has had a 19 year stint with the business and said he “absolutely loved” working for Godfreys and had grown “very close” with one of the original owner’s, John Johnston.
“I was very close with the original owner, especially before he died because the original owner was from Adelaide, so it’s upsetting.
“It’s an iconic brand and it’s upsetting for the legacy … for him, but also, it’s obviously upsetting for the country as well.”
The first Godfreys store opened in Melbourne in 1936, followed three years later with the first SA store in Adelaide Arcade in 1939.
Mr MacNeil believes there were a number of reasons for the closure.
“At the end of the day, the market is forever changing. There was Covid, it’s a difficult scenario economically at the moment,” he said.
It is understood there are 375 employees remaining in the Australian arm of the business after 25 head office staff were made redundant as of Wednesday.
The administrators announced no viable offers had been submitted to take the business forward after they conducted a “comprehensive” process to identify a purchaser.
“With interested parties withdrawing and no satisfactory bids to acquire Godfreys store network yet received, the administrators have no other option but to commence a progressive wind-down of Godfreys’ operations in Australia and New Zealand,” they said in a statement.
Craig Crosbie, Robert Ditrich and Daniel Walley from PwC Australia were appointed as administrators on January 30 this year.
Mr Crosbie said 55 expressions of interest and six indicative offers were received during the sales process.
However these offers have since been withdrawn or were determined not to be sufficient in securing the business’s long-term future.
“This is not the outcome Godfreys had hoped for following a rigorous process to find a purchaser for the business that could keep the store network trading,” Mr Crosbie said in a statement.
“In the absence of any further bidders coming forward as intermittent trading continues, the process of closing all remaining stores will progress over the next eight weeks.”
Godfreys’ director Grant Hancock said: “While the decision to appoint Administrators was difficult, it was made with the best interests of Godfreys’ employees, customers and broader stakeholders in mind.”
Godfreys is best known for selling vacuum cleaners and other cleaning products, gaining notoriety for its unique television commercials.
More Coverage
Originally published as Godfreys worker Gwyn MacNeil shares his sadness over the closure of SA stores included in the closing down announcement
Cancer patients left scrambling as critical service to close
The Western Hospital’s oncology department will close next week, affecting dozens of patients and leaving 12 staff without a job. But the broader hospital’s future appears more certain.
GFG rail haulage suspended over ‘contractual issues’
Rail operator Aurizon has suspended some services to GFG Alliance’s Whyalla operations, just days after GFG head Sanjeev Gupta reiterated his commitment to returning to profitability.