Our team has experience with retail organisations of all sizes – from sole traders to iconic Australian and international brands. We understand the latest retail issues and trends through ongoing participation in the industry and its interest groups, and some of our team have been retailers themselves.
We apply formal and informal techniques that help make struggling retail operations viable. By identifying a retail business’s pressure points, we determine its most profitable attributes, manage non-performing product lines, and restructure its business strategy to suit the new structure.
Our retail expertise covers a range of retail segments including fashion, electronics, consumer services, consumer durables, automotive, heavy machinery, furniture businesses, supermarkets, and other food retailers. Our expertise also covers the full retail supply chain.
Case Studies
Mothercare
ASX-listed retailer Mothercare Australia Limited faced financial distress after a proposed sale of the business failed. Mothercare Australia had 47 stores (trading under the Mothercare Australia, Kids Central, Early Learning Centre and Baby on a Budget brands) and more than 500 employees across Australia and New Zealand. Brian Silvia was appointed as voluntary administrator of the company and its trading subsidiaries. As a sale of the business as a going concern was not possible, we sought to maximise recoveries for creditors. We traded the business over a 4-month period to sell down the stock profitably through a targeted, complex process involving teams in all states. Ultimately we realised in excess of $18 million for the stock, which funded the payment of all employee entitlements and a significant return to trade and secured creditors.
Supre
FerrierSilvia’s predecessor Ferrier Hodgson reconstructed Supre in the mid-1990s. Ian Ferrier became the Chairman owing 10% of the company with Brian Silvia prior to its eventual sale in recent years to Cotton On.
Supermarkets
Brian Silvia was a Receiver/Administrator and Advisor on a sale of any excess of 350 supermarkets throughout Australia over the past 40 years.