Former Retail Food Group boss drops defamation case against Herald, Age

The former boss of the franchise group behind well-known chains such as Donut King and Gloria Jean's has abandoned his defamation case against The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age over a series of reports examining his business dealings.

Tony Alford, a former managing director and chief executive of the ASX-listed Retail Food Group, launched defamation proceedings against the mastheads and journalists Adele Ferguson and Sarah Danckert in November last year.

Former Retail Food Group boss Tony Alford has dropped his defamation case against The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Credit: Fairfax Media

The longtime boss of the franchise group claimed that a series of reports published in print and online in December 2017 and March 2018 defamed him in a number of respects, including by suggesting he "intentionally operated franchise business models he knew would be brutally uneconomic for franchisees".

But Mr Alford, who stepped down from Retail Food Group in 2017 after 20 years in senior roles, has now settled the claim.

The reports at the heart of the defamation case will not be removed from the publisher's websites.

"Producing quality, ethical and constructive journalism is a hallmark of our newsrooms and vital to a democratic society," a joint statement from The Age editor Alex Lavelle and the Herald editor Lisa Davies said.

"We are proud to stand up for our journalists as they continue to hold people and organisations to account.

"These articles by Adele Ferguson and Sarah Danckert are a fine example of top-quality journalism."