‘Incorrect’: Hills hoist supplier blasts media reports

The company behind an iconic Australian brand has hit back at “misleading” news that it is collapsing.

A company behind one of Australia’s most iconic inventions has hit back at “misleading news coverage” which it says incorrectly signalled the end of the firm.

AMES Australasia, the company behind Hills Home Living products and the iconic Hills hoist brand, said the news of Hills Limited going into administration has been incorrectly linked to the iconic brand which it says will be “unaffected”.

Hills Limited is a separate business from Hills Home Living, AMES clarified and added that the Hills hoist brand has no affiliation with the embattled Hills Limited.

“Therefore, associating Hills hoist with news on Hills Limited is incorrect and misleading,” and AMES statement read.

Hills hoist aren’t going anywhere. Picture: Evan Morgan

“Hills Limited is now a technology business with no affiliation to Hills hoist or Hills Home Living since AMES Australasia acquired Hills Home Living from Hills Limited in 2017.”

The brand stable went on to spruik the performance of Hills Home Living business which it claims has “grown significantly”, with clotheslines and laundry products “performing exceptionally well”.

AMES Australasia CEO, Simon Hupfeld, said customers and employees need not worry about Monday’s news with Hills clotheslines and laundry products, consumer warranties “completely unaffected by the unfortunate happenings” to Hills Limited.

“We are proud to advise that there are more Hills clotheslines being sold today than at any other time in the brand’s iconic history,” he said.

Hills was founded by Lance Hill in 1945, who invented the iconic clothesline which rotated with the wind.

“The organisation mentioned in the article, “Hills Limited,” transformed into a technology company many years ago and is no longer connected to the Hills clothesline business.

“The articles’ use of Hills hoist imagery alongside the news is misleading, as it incorrectly suggests a potential impact on our Hills clotheslines business, which is not the case.”

“We would like to reassure our customers that the supply of Hills clotheslines and laundry products, consumer warranties, customer service, and all related aspects remain entirely unaffected by the current situation involving Hills Limited.”

On Friday afternoon, Hills Ltd found itself in administration after a court ruling favoured one of its suppliers in May.

The legal battle revolved around a dispute between Hills Ltd and Stellar Vision Operators, which had initially been dismissed in 2022.

But Stellar won an appeal, resulting in a substantial $5.48 million payout to be made on May 18.

Company behind iconic Aussie brand Hills hoist has spoke out over claims it’s going bust.

The source of contention between the two parties originated from patient entertainment systems commissioned by the Western Sydney Local Health District.

This dispute specifically involved Hills Health Solutions, the branch of Hills Ltd responsible for healthcare technology.

Negotiations failed to yield a resolution, leading to Stellar’s successful appeal.

Hills Ltd took action last Monday by suspending its shares.

In an official statement, the company cited the need for a voluntary suspension while awaiting the resolution of ongoing settlement negotiations with the involved parties and other stakeholders.

Prior to the suspension, Hills Ltd’s shares were trading at 2.3 cents each, with the company’s total valuation resting at a modest $12.3 million.

Hills Ltd, once a revenue-generating behemoth with approximately $1 billion in revenue in 2000, has experienced a marked decline. Its financial performance suffered considerably, culminating in a recorded loss of $23.9 million in 2022.

– With NCA NewsWire