Collapses keep coming: Clothing retailer, manufacturing business, playground builder and nut farm in administration

The fragile state of Australia’s non-mining economy has been underlined by a spate of small collapses in recent days, with the retail, manufacturing and agribusiness sectors all hit.

Upmarket clothing retailer Belinda International, which has eight boutiques across Sydney and Melbourne, was placed in the hands of administrator Adam Farnsworth of Dean-Willcocks Shepard on August 24.

According to reports, the business is continuing to trade and no staff have been cut at this point. Like many retailers in the fashion sector, the business has been forced to offer large discounts in recent months.

Receivers Neil Cussen and Vaughan Strawbridge of Deloitte have placed steel group Phillips Fabrications up for sale after the business was placed in the hands of administrators on August 12 and receivers on August 25.

The business, located in the Sydney suburb of Silverwater, is a steel and truck tray fabrication business. The receivers’ advertisement says the business has a strong order book and major government and council contracts.

Ferrier Hodgson is also ramping up the sale process for Playspace Playground, a 16-year-old Melbourne business that designs, manufactures and installs children’s playgrounds.

The business was placed in the hands of receivers on August 25. A note on the company’s website says that “following an urgent assessment of the viability of the company’s operations, the receivers and managers decided to cease trading” on that day.

Ferrier says in its advertisement that the business has preferred supplier status with several local governments and schools and has warehouse/office facilities in three eastern states.

BDO administrator Geoffrey Hancock is preparing to hold a second meeting of creditors on September 8 for food business Koala Farms Macadamia Nut Company and the associated firm Printpack Pty Ltd.

Koala Farms was placed in the hands of administrators in early July.

BDO is also handling the administration of a frozen dough manufacturer located in Sydney. BDO refused to release the name of the business, which had revenue of almost $30 million last financial year.

The business, part of a larger group, is not up for sale.