‘Our aim is to preserve the business and jobs’: Godfreys goes into administration after 93 years
Vacuum and cleaning brand Godfreys, whose agency roster includes Thinkerbell, Hardhat, Hello Social and Nunn Media, has gone into voluntary administration after 93 years in market.
PwC’s Craig Crosbie, Robert Ditrich and Daniel Walley have been appointed as the voluntary administrators in Australia, while John Fisk and Stephen White will take care of the New Zealand subsidiary.
Mumbrella was told in a statement that the administrators will continue to trade the business, while undertaking an immediate operational restructure and sale process. Up to 54 stores across Australia and New Zealand could close within the next 14 days, affecting the employment of approximately 193 employees.
In the statement, PwC’s Crosbie said: “Like many retailers, Godfreys has faced a challenging economic and operating environment. Lower customer demand amid cost of living pressures, higher operating costs, and increased competition have all taken a toll on profitability, with some stores more impacted than others.
“Our aim is to move quickly to restructure Godfreys to preserve as much of the business and as many jobs as possible. We intend to trade the restructured store network and sell the business and assets as a going concern, with strong interest expected from prospective buyers,” he continued.
“We will continue to work closely with Godfreys’ director, management, and creditors, including staff whose employment is unfortunately impacted by store closures.”
Grant Hancock, director of Godfreys, said in the statement: “While the decision to appoint administrators was difficult, it was made with the best interests of Godfreys’ employees, customers and broader stakeholders in mind.”
In August 2022, Hardhat was selected by the brand to boost its online presence and end-to-end customer experience.
Godfreys’ general manager of marketing, Nathan Dixon, said at the time: “We’re very excited to be entering the next phase of brand rejuvenation with an agency that is as enthusiastic about evolving the brand’s digital experience as we are.”
Two months later, Hello Social was engaged to better connect its physical and digital efforts under a streamlined customer experience – with a focus on social content and engagement.
Then late last year, branding agency Principals was tapped to refresh the brand, with new brand strategy, tone of voice and visual identity.
“Godfreys is midway through a wide-scale transformation including store design, digital customer experience and a review of the wider marketing strategy,” the brand wrote at the time.
Nunn Media held Godfreys media account.
Meanwhile, Thinkerbell was appointed as Godfreys creative partner less than six months ago, launching a new brand platform, ‘Feel Free’. The TVC that was launched in September is no longer available online.
Thinkerbell’s recent work for Godfreys
It is understood the first meeting of creditors will be held on February 9.
Mumbrella has contacted Godfreys and PwC for comment.
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Lauren McNamara is a journalist at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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